Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto’s parties in Pakistan have reached a deal to form a government.
Mr Bhutto’s PPP said it would help Mr Sharif’s PML-N elect a prime minister after last week’s election.
The two parties were previously in a coalition that ousted Imran Khan from power in 2022.
This time, independent candidates backed by his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party unexpectedly won the most seats.
The results – in which the PTI took 93 out of 266 directly elected seats – had left voters uncertain about which parties would form the next government.
Mr Sharif’s PML-N won 75 seats while Mr Bhutto’s PPP came third with 54 seats.
In addition, parties will be allocated more seats from the 70 reserved for women and non-Muslims. These additional seats are not available to independent candidates.
According to PML-N official Marriyum Aurangzeb, party leader Mr Sharif plans to nominate his brother Shehbaz to be prime minister. Both men have previously served as prime minister.
While Mr Bhutto says his party will help elect a PLM-N prime minister, he earlier said it would not take any cabinet positions.
Imran Khan and his party have continued to emphasise that they believe the elections were rigged against them and plan to challenge the results.
