From a humble beginning as the chairman of a district council in Punjab province, veteran Pakistan People's Party leader Yousuf Raza Gillani has been thrust into the limelight as the man, who will lead Pakistan's new government that will grapple with challenges ranging from terrorism to spiralling inflation.
Fifty five-year-old Gillani, declared on Saturday night as the prime ministerial candidate of the PPP that is set to head a coalition government, belongs to an influential religious and political family of Multan.
The election of Gillani as prime minister in the National Assembly on Monday is a certainty given the majority the incoming PPP-PML(N) coalition has in the lower House of Parliament.
Gillani began his political career with the Pakistan Muslim League during the reign of military ruler Gen Zia-ul-Haq in 1978. He joined the PPP in 1988 and rose to the post of vice chairman of the party in a decade.
Reportage: PTI | Photograph: Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images
Image: A file photo shows Yousuf Raza Gillani coming out of his car to attend the first session of the National Assembly in Islamabad.
Also read: Coverage: Pakistan Votes
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