Nawaz Sharif was endorsed as Pakistan's new prime minister Wednesday, beginning an unprecedented third term with the country facing a daunting array of problems ranging from crippling power cuts to Taliban militancy.
Some 13 years after he was deposed in a coup and sent into exile, the 63-year-old was formally chosen by a vote in the National Assembly and will take the oath from President Asif Ali Zardari later in the day.
But any joy at his remarkable comeback will be short-lived as Sharif gets to work on a mountain of challenges, starting with an energy crisis that has hamstrung the economy and made ordinary Pakistanis' lives a misery.
Sharif will make a short speech to the National Assembly, where his Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) holds a majority of the 342 seats, setting out his view on the problems facing the country.
Party officials say he is likely to lay out government priorities but not go into policy in any great detail, with a longer address to the nation expected in coming days.
The new premier has said tackling energy shortages, which rob the Pakistani economy of up to four percent of GDP, will be a priority and he has vowed to build new power plants.
Years of mismanagement, under-investment and corruption in the power sector have led to blackouts of up to 20 hours a day in the blistering heat of summer, when temperatures reach up to 50 Celsius (122 Fahrenheit).
Analyst Imtiaz Gul said he expected a sober, conciliatory approach to government from Sharif.
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