Asif Ali Zardari, a prominent leader of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), has been elected as the 14th President of Pakistan, defeating his opponent Mahmood Khan Achakzai by a considerable margin.
Zardari, a former president and candidate backed by the ruling alliance, secured a total of 411 electoral votes across parliament and the four provincial assemblies, while Achakzai garnered 181 votes.
The voting process, conducted in the Senate, National Assembly, and provincial assemblies, saw Zardari emerge as the clear winner. In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Zardari received 17 votes compared to Achakzai’s 91, while in Balochistan, Zardari secured all 47 votes.
In the Sindh Assembly, Zardari obtained 151 votes, while Achakzai managed only nine. Similarly, in the Punjab Assembly, Zardari garnered 246 votes against Achakzai’s 100.
Zardari, the joint presidential candidate of the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and other allied parties, is poised to potentially secure his second term as president. His opponent, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, represented the joint opposition candidate.
The election took place through a secret ballot, with the respective houses of parliament and provincial assemblies serving as polling stations. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman acted as Zardari’s polling agent, while Senator Shafiq Tareen represented Achakzai.
Chief Justice Aamir Farooq of the Islamabad High Court presided over the election proceedings at the Parliament House. Zardari’s children, Bilawal, Bakhtawar, and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, were also present during the election process.
