The Pakistan Peoples Party Co-Chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, has been elected as the President of Pakistan for the second time, following polling at joint session of the parliament and four provincial assemblies held on Saturday.
The joint parliament sitting, presided over by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Amir Farooq, witnessed a significant political event as Zardari secured a second term in the highest office of the land. The election marked the culmination of a thorough democratic process involving polling in the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies.
Senator Sherry Rehman of the Pakistan Peoples Party was appointed polling agent for Asif Ali Zardari, while Senator Shafique Tareen fulfilled the same role for Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council – a party primarily comprising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers.
The results from the Senate and National Assembly combined showed Zardari obtaining 255 votes against Achakzai’s 119 votes.
In the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Achakzai secured 91 votes, while Zardari received 17 votes.
In the Punjab Assembly, Zardari garnered 246 votes, while Achakzai trailed with 100 votes.
The Sindh Assembly results showed Zardari securing 151 votes compared to Achakzai’s 9 votes.
Notably, Zardari received 47 votes from the Balochistan Assembly, while Achakzai failed to secure a single vote from the province.
According to a notification issued by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) following the polls, ruling coalition’s candidate garnered 411 votes while the PTI-backed candidate bagged 181 votes from Electoral College.
the day, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) rejected a request by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) presidential candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai to postpone the elections. In a written response, the ECP clarified that Achakzai had not raised any objections during the nomination paper submission and scrutiny phase. The Electoral College was deemed fully functional to proceed with the polls.
The development came a day after the ruling coalition, comprising the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) among other allies, endorsed Asif Ali Zardari’s nomination for the presidency. This show of support highlighted a broader political consensus within the ruling coalition regarding Zardari’s leadership.
