ISLAMABAD, March 23: Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani of the PPP, whose nomination papers were accepted by Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza on Sunday, is set to be elected prime minister by a huge majority on Monday.

The election will be held through a division in the house in a special session of 342-member house to be held at 4pm.

The PML-Q-led opposition, in a symbolic move, filed the nomination papers of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi for the post.

Mr Elahi was hurriedly selected by the PML-Q-led opposition as its candidate after the MQM left the opposition in the lurch by withdrawing Dr Farooq Sattar from the race and declaring support for the PPP candidate.

The Pakistan People’s Party has summoned a joint parliamentary party meeting of the coalition in the parliament house to guide the newly-elected lawmakers about the procedure for the election of the prime minister which will take place by a division and not by secret ballot.

PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari, PML-N leader Mian Nawaz Sharif, ANP chief Asfandyar Wali and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman were expected to co-chair the parliamentary party meeting, sources said.

Six nomination papers were submitted on behalf of Mr Gilani and four for Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi at the National Assembly Secretariat.

After scrutiny, all the papers were declared to be in order.

Those who proposed and seconded Mr Gilani’s papers included Khurshid Shah, Naveed Qamar, Asfandyar Wali, Khawaja Asif, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Sherry Rahman and Raja Parvaiz Ashraf while Sheikh Waqas Akram, Chaudhry Wajahat and Aftab Sherpao signed the papers of Mr Elahi.

Talking to newsmen on the occasion, Mr Gilani said the PPP was a party of the masses and it would serve the people without discrimination.

He said the MQM had offered an “unconditional support” to the PPP, adding that it was the desire of the late party chairperson that all political forces, including the Muttahida, should be part of a future set up.

He said various political parties had joined hands to form a coalition government to restore supremacy of parliament, 1973 Constitution, independent judiciary and an independent election commission.

Mr Gilani said the country needed cooperation of all parties because it was facing a grave crisis which no single party was capable of handling.

He said the new government would implement the Charter of Democracy signed by late Ms Bhutto last year.

Mr Gilani thanked party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and all other leaders for supporting his candidature for the prime ministership.

Talking to reporters before filing his nomination papers, Chaudhry Parvaiz Elahi said the decision of his party to field its candidate for the post of prime minister was necessary for continuation of the democratic process.

He told a questioner that opposition parties were not saddened by a decision of the MQM to support the PPP candidate for the prime minister. He said the PML-Q leadership had told the MQM leadership in Karachi on March 3 that it was free to take a decision keeping in view the local and provincial situation.