Pakistan will hold general elections on July 25, marking the second consecutive democratic transition in a country ruled by the military for half its history, local media reported late Saturday.

President Mamnoon Hussain approved the date for elections for the national and four provincial assemblies, with 105 million people expected to cast their votes.

The incumbent government's tenure is set to end on Thursday, and it's not known who will lead the interim government to oversee the elections.

Pakistan's constitution allows the premier and the opposition leader to draw a roadmap for the elections and choose the interim leader.

The country is a nuclear power with a 224-million- population, but it has struggled politically, with no democratic government being able to complete a five-year term in more than six decades.

The country's political history is marred by frequent coups, assassinations and the unceremonious ouster of leaders either by the military or a powerful judiciary.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif last year became the latest leader to be removed by the Supreme Court on corruption allegations, but his party's government has continued under a new premier.

The upcoming election will pit Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf of cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan.

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