Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has been elected as Pakistan’s 14th President, as reported by Geo News on Saturday.
This marks his second term in the prestigious role. Previously, Zardari served as the president from 2008 to 2013.
In the parliamentary election, Asif Ali Zardari secured an impressive 255 electoral votes, defeating the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed candidate, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who represented the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Contrastingly, Mahmood Khan Achakzai secured 119 votes in the combined National Assembly and Senate. Remarkably, only one vote was rejected during the parliamentary proceedings, as reported by Geo News.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari PPP Chairman, in his statement, announced, “In the presidential elections, our party’s candidate and my father, Asif Ali Zardari, secured a total of 411 votes against the candidate backed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who only managed to garner 181 votes.”
In a recent post, the former foreign minister stated that Asif Ali Zardari secured a total of 411 votes from national and provincial lawmakers in Pakistan’s presidential election.
These votes were distributed as follows: National Assembly and Senate: 255 votes, Sindh Assembly: 151 votes, Punjab Assembly: 246 votes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly: 17 votes, Balochistan Assembly: 47 votes
The PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) supporters erupted in joyous celebrations outside the Punjab Assembly as the election results swung in favor of Asif Ali Zardari.
Their exuberant victory dance, accompanied by the rhythmic beats of the Dhol, symbolized the party’s triumphant moment.
On March 9, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif officially declared Asif Ali Zardari as the candidate for the upcoming presidential election. Zardari, the co-chairperson of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), was nominated by the ruling alliance of the PPP and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
His opponent, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, was fielded by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and backed by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
“The coalition government secured two-thirds of the votes in the recent general elections and it would be reflected during the presidential election,” he added.
In the race for the presidential office, two prominent contenders emerged: Asif Ali Zardari, the joint nominee of the PPP (Pakistan People’s Party) and the PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz), and Achakzai, representing the Sunni Ittehad Council .
The presidential election process in Pakistan involved an electoral college comprising members from the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies.
During a joint session of the parliament held at the Parliament House in Islamabad, representatives from both the National Assembly and the Senate cast their votes, as reported by ARY News.
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