Asif Ali Zardari elected 14th president of Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari, the joint candidate of PPP and PML-N, has been elected as 14th president of Pakistan, ARY News reported.

Zardari received majority votes of the electoral college, comprising the parliament and provincial assemblies, paving way for him to assume the office of President of Pakistan, for the second time in country’s parliamentary history.

The PPP co-Chairman received 411 votes while the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) backed candidate Mehmood Khan Achakzai — the home of PTI independents — only managed to get 181 votes.

In a joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate, the coalition government’s nominee received 255 votes while SIC-backed candidate managed just 119 votes.

 

Asif Ali Zardari, the joint candidate of PPP and the PML-N, and Sunni Ittehad Council’s candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai contested for the office of President.

The current ruling coalition, comprising the PML-N, the PPP, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), has backed former president Asif Ali Zardari.

The President is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies.

A joint session of the parliament was held at the parliament house in Islamabad today where the members of National Assembly and the Senate will exercise their right to vote.

Similarly, the provincial assemblies also holding their sessions today for the election.

پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی پارلیمنٹرینز کے صدر اور صدرمملکت کے لئے امیدوار آصف علی زرداری پارلیمنٹ ہاؤس پہنچ گئے#VoteForPresidentZardari pic.twitter.com/hzBW47ymd8

— PPP (@MediaCellPPP) March 9, 2024

The Election Commission of Pakistan Saturday declared all four assemblies as a polling station for the conduct of the presidential elections.

At least 162 members of the provincial assembly in Sindh, 353 in Punjab, 65 Balochistan and 115 in KP will vote to elect the country’s new president.

With majority in all assembles and Senate, PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is set to become President of Pakistan for second time.

Achakzai seeks postponement of presidential election

Mehmood Khan Achakzai — the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) backed presidential candidate — on Friday asked the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the election as the electoral college is “incomplete”.

In a letter to the chief election commissioner on Friday, Achakzai said that stated that electoral college for a presidential election was “still incomplete”.

“As yet no one was elected on those reserved seats and without nominations and proper election on these seats, if the presidential election is conducted as per the schedule that would be denial of their votes, which otherwise is against the fundamental rights, law and constitution,” stated the letter.

“Under the above circumstances, it is submitted that the proposed election to the office of the President of Pakistan is clearly impossible, therefore the same may kindly be postponed or delayed till completion of electoral college accordingly in the best interest of justice, fair play and equity.”

Achakzai said that the the Sunni Ittehad Council has already filed a petition in the court regarding reserved seats and an injunctive order has been issued.

Alvi given farewell guard of honour

President Arif Alvi on Friday was given a farewell guard of honour at Aiwan-e-Sadr on the completion of his constitutional term.

The president was escorted to the salute dais who, after the national anthem, reviewed the guard of honor presented by the smartly turned out contingents of the armed forces.

Alvi was elected as the country’s 13th president following the election victory of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan, and took the oath of office on Sept. 9, 2018, succeeding Mamnoon Hussain.