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(Bloomberg) — About a week after Pakistan’s inconclusive election, two main candidates have emerged in the race to become the country’s next leader.

In one camp, the favorite, Shehbaz Sharif, the nomination of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the party that’s widely seen as backed by the powerful military and in pole position to lead a coalition government.

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In the other, the man picked from jail by Imran Khan, the former cricket star whose Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates were forced to contest the election as independents — and shocked the world by still winning the most seats. Khan’s choice is Omar Ayub Khan, who served as a minister in his government and is the grandson of a former military dictator.

A third candidate, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of assassinated former leader Benazir Bhutto, has dropped out of the race and said his party will vote for Sharif as prime minister.

Here’s a look at the two contenders.

 Shehbaz Sharif, 72

Sharif became the PML-N nominee when his elder brother Nawaz, who had returned from London to contest the election, dropped out. Nawaz’s daughter, Maryam, denied that her father was quitting politics following the election results.

The younger Sharif brother helped Pakistan to avoid default last year by securing a $3 billion loan program from the International Monetary Fund. Sharif took unpopular steps, including removing fuel subsidies, to meet IMF conditions. But that also accelerated inflation before the election. It’s running at 28%, the fastest pace in Asia. 

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Sharif said this week Pakistan will need to secure a new loan program at the earliest. 

Sharif is well-regarded as an administrator and nicknamed “Shehbaz Speed” for his efficiency in overseeing infrastructure projects. He was chief minister of Punjab — the country’s most populous province — for 15 years. But critics said Sharif did little to address in the province’s key issues, including low literacy and a lack of jobs for young workers.

He’s maintained good ties with the military though he doesn’t have much charisma, political analysts have said. Shehbaz and the current army chief Asim Munir are known to have a strong working relationship, with the politician saying the general had a big part to play in securing financial aid from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

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Omar Ayub Khan, 54 

A grandson of military ruler Muhammad Ayub Khan who toppled a civilian government in the late 1950s, the politician is known for joining different parties throughout his career. He was part of Sharif’s party in the 2013 election and before that joined a group that military dictator General Pervez Musharraf created for his political comeback. 

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Ayub Khan then joined PTI in 2018 and went up the party ranks, becoming general secretary of the party last year after a crackdown led to an exodus of senior leaders. He also held the economic affairs and energy portfolios as a minister in Khan’s government, which faced one of the country’s worst power blackouts in 2021 and then came under fire for failing to act fast to get an IMF bailout.

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Ayub Khan said his first priority as prime minister would be to release Imran Khan and all other political prisoners from jail. Khan wouldn’t be able to contest as prime minister due to a five-year ban on seeking office for people convicted of crimes. 

—With assistance from Betsy Joles and Ismail Dilawar.

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