Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has summoned the newly elected National Assembly to convene next Friday -- even though parties are still trying to form a new government.
Radio Pakistan says members of parliament will take their oath of office November eighth. Then lawmakers will have the task of choosing a prime minister.
The new National Assembly is Pakistan's first parliament since General Musharraf took power in a bloodless coup in 1999. The October 10th elections were aimed at returning government to civilians after three years of military rule.
But Pakistan has been in political limbo since the elections, with no party holding enough seats to form a government by itself and none of the parties able to agree on a governing coalition.
The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League Quaid won the most seats in the voting. But its efforts to forge a coalition with an alliance of Islamic parties (the Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal) have yet to succeed.
On Friday, the 54-nation Commonwealth agreed to maintain Pakistan's suspension from the body until it has a clearer picture of whether the country's democratic institutions are working properly.