A Chief Minister ( ur, —), is the elected

head of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a ...

of a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The chief minister is the head of the provincial government, whereas in contrast, the governor is the nominal head, or the "de jure executive" and does everything under the guidance of the chief minister. The chief minister is elected by the provincial assembly, and is the leader of the provincial

Legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

. The parliamentary system in Pakistan follows the Westminster system. Hence the ministers of the provinces are elected by the members of the legislature, and the majority party is invited to elect a leader, whose tenure lasts for five years. The people do not elect the head of the government, rather they elect their representatives only. In turn their representatives select the head of the government. The head of the government, once elected, enjoys almost exclusive executive powers.

Selection process

Eligibility

The

Constitution of Pakistan The Constitution of Pakistan ( ur, ), also known as the 1973 Constitution, is the supreme law of Pakistan. Drafted by the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with additional assistance from the country's opposition parties, it was approved by ...

sets the principle qualifications one must meet to be eligible to the office of the Chief Minister. A Chief Minister must be: * a citizen of Pakistan * should be a member of the provincial legislature. The chief minister is elected through a majority in the provincial legislative assembly. This is procedurally established by the vote of confidence in the legislative assembly, as suggested by the majority party who is the appointing authority.

Oath

After the successful elections, the swearing is done before the governor of the province. The oath of office, according to the "Articles 130(5) and 132(2)" of the constitution is as follows.

Succession

The Governor may ask the Chief Minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of Chief Minister. The Chief Minister shall continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of Chief Minister. After the dissolution of the provincial assembly, nothing in Article 131 or Article 132 can be construed to disqualify the Chief Minister or a Provincial Minister from continuing in the office.

Current chief ministers

References