Govt struggles to secure magic number for constitutional amendment

ISLAMABAD: To secure a constitutional amendment, the government must obtain 11 additional votes in the National Assembly and 4 more votes in the Senate.

Currently, the government holds 213 seats in the National Assembly and 59 seats in the Senate. To achieve the required majority, they need to amass 224 votes in the National Assembly and 63 votes in the Senate.

If the government receives support from the eight Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) members in the National Assembly, they will still need three more votes from independent members.

In the Senate, if five JUI-F senators support the government, they will achieve a two-thirds majority.

According to the official list following the Supreme Court’s decision on July 12, there are 213 government members and 99 opposition members in the National Assembly. For a constitutional amendment, the government needs 11 more votes.

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List of National Assembly Members and Their Affiliations

The Pakistan Muslim League (N) has 111 members, while the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians count 69 members. The Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan has 22 members, and the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party has 4 members. The Pakistan Muslim League (Q) is represented by 5 members. Additionally, the Pakistan Muslim League (Zia), Balochistan Awami Party, and National Party each have one member in the National Assembly.

Opposition:

The Sunni Ittehad Council has 80 members, while PTI-backed independent members total 8. Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Pakistan also has 8 members. Both Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen and Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party are represented by one member each. Additionally, Balochistan National Party’s Akhtar Mengal has resigned from his seat.

Senate:

In the Senate, the Pakistan Peoples Party has 24 members, and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) has 19 members. The Awami National Party is represented by 3 members, while the Muslim League (Q) has 1 member. The Balochistan Awami Party has 4 members, and the MQM has 3 members. There are also 2 Independent Senators and 2 Senators from Independent benches. With 59 members’ support, the government needs 4 more votes to achieve the required majority for a constitutional amendment.

In the Senate opposition:

In the Senate, PTI has 17 members, while JUI-F has 5 members. The Sunni Ittehad Council and Majlis Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen each have 1 member, and the Balochistan National Party and National Party each have 1 member. Additionally, there is 1 independent senator. To secure a constitutional amendment, the government needs to acquire 11 more votes in the National Assembly and 4 more votes in the Senate.