Imran Khan's allies won the most seats, but they will not rule Pakistan

Pakistan's two main political dynasties reached an agreement late on Tuesday to form a coalition government, which would ensure that candidates aligned with former Prime Minister Imran Khan will not take power despite losing in last week's elections won the most seats.

Leaders of the party favored by the country's powerful military, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), announced they had joined forces with another major party, the Pakistan People's Party, and others to form a to achieve a two-thirds majority in the next parliament. .

“This is not a time for disagreement, but for uniting,” said Shehbaz Sharif, a former prime minister who the coalition said would be nominated to regain that post. “Let's move forward, move the economy forward and end divisions.”

The announcement came five days after a national election that most had expected PMLN to win easily after gaining the support of the military, which has often led to electoral results. In a stunning upset, candidates allied with Mr Khan routed the two long-standing major parties, defying a months-long military crackdown on their own party and sharply rebuking the country's generals.

The election results set off days of political wrangling. As PMLN and the PPP discussed joining forces, the country waited to see if Mr Khan, who is serving multiple prison sentences on charges he says are politically motivated, could pull off another disruption and form a coalition of his own .

While Tuesday's announcement confirms that members of Mr. Khan's party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, will be in opposition in parliament, they certainly won't be on the sidelines and may face a serious challenge for the coalition government.

PTI has accused the military of tampering with vote counts in dozens of races and has promised a long, painful court battle to challenge the results. For many Pakistanis, these accusations damage the legitimacy of Mr Sharif's coalition, which PTI leaders accuse of forming a government with “stolen votes”.

The PMLN announcement on Tuesday that the coalition would nominate Mr Sharif as prime minister ended days of speculation over whether he or his older brother, Nawaz Sharif, a three-time prime minister, would lead the next government.

The younger Sharif, 72, led a coalition government after Khan's ouster by parliament in 2022. He is seen as more deferential to the military than his brother, who has fallen out with the country's generals several times after pushing for more . civilian control of the government.

The elevation of the younger Mr Sharif as prime minister suggests the military will maintain its tight grip on the country's politics from behind the scenes, analysts say.

The previous coalition government led by Mr Sharif was deeply unpopular and criticized for failing to tackle the economic crisis that has sent inflation to record highs in recent years. The country's economy has been able to survive thanks to a $3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

“It will be a tough task for Shehbaz Sharif's government,” said Muneeb Farooq, a Lahore-based political analyst. “The expected economic turnaround that everyone keeps talking about is far from reality.”

PMLN leaders said Mr Sharif's eldest daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif will be nominated to head the provincial government in Punjab province, home to the Sharif political dynasty and where it recently faced a strong challenge from PTI confronted.

The move was seen as an attempt by the elder Mr Sharif to pass the party baton to his daughter.

Asif Ali Zardari, a co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, and officials from several other smaller parties expressed support for Shehbaz Sharif to form the next government after the leaders held a meeting in the capital Islamabad late Tuesday night.

“We will bring Pakistan out of difficult times,” said Mr. Zardari, who is expected to become the country's next president, a largely ceremonial position. His wife, Benazir Bhutto, was a two-time prime minister of Pakistan and was assassinated in 2007.