After former cricketer Imran Khan was overthrown in a no-confidence vote, Pakistan Parliament members are expected to choose opposition candidate Shehbaz Sharif as the country's next prime minister.
Last Sunday at midnight in Islamabad, a united opposition movement gathered 174 lawmakers to vote against Khan, two more than the number required to expel him from the post.
After Khan rallied followers in cities around the country against what he called "U.S.-backed regime change," Parliament will reconvene Monday to choose his replacement.
Khan was removed from power following a heated exchange between Pakistan's army over a variety of problems, including meddling in military promotions, his tense relationship with the United States, and economic management that saw inflation surge at the second-fastest rate in Asia.
In Pakistan's 75-year history, the military has ruled for about half of that time, and no prime minister has served a full term.
Pakistan's foreign policy is likely to shift closer toward the United States and Europe as a result of the political upheaval in the world's fifth-most populous country.
Khan had pushed Pakistan nearer to Russia and China, and he attempted to undermine the no-confidence vote by alleging that the Biden administration plotted with the opposition to depose him.
Sharif earned a reputation when he was the chief minister of Punjab, the country's most populated region, as a business-friendly ruler who championed big development projects and who has preserved close connections with the army.
A Sharif-led administration is also likely to assist in securing the remaining three billion dollars from an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, which is needed to support reserve assets and the currency.
The rupee is nearing a record low versus the dollar, and foreign currency reserves have plummeted to their lowest level in almost two years, barely enough to cover a few months' worth of importation.
Last week, the central bank stunned economists by raising interest rates to their highest level since 1996.
As the no-confidence vote was ultimately held, opposing ministers roared and applauded as the results were read aloud. In Karachi and Islamabad, television networks showed opposing party flags being brandished on the streets, as well as celebratory pyrotechnics and gunshots.
According to a tweet from Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, a confidant and member of the Parliament, Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members intend to quit the National Assembly after the new prime minister is inaugurated.
