Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership.
The vote was held past midnight after opposition parties brought a motion against him, following days of drama.
The motion was first brought last week, but the former cricket star blocked it by dissolving parliament.
Sunday’s vote took place after the country’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of opposition parties and said that Mr Khan had acted unconstitutionally.
Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif – who is expected to be chosen as the new prime minister on Monday – said Pakistan and its parliament were “finally freed from a serious crisis”, adding in a tweet: “Congratulations to the Pakistani nation on a new dawn.”
If voted in by parliament, Mr Sharif – a long-time rival of Mr Khan and brother of former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – would be able to hold power until October 2023, when the next election is due to be held.
The vote makes Mr Khan the first Pakistani prime minister to be ousted by a no-confidence motion, with opposition parties securing 174 votes in the 342-member house in support of the no-confidence motion.
