Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari was elected as the 14th President of Pakistan on Saturday. This will be Zardari's second stint as President.
The presiding officer announced Zardari's electoral victory in the joint sitting of the Senate and National Assembly. The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) is expected to make a formal announcement of the election results later.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Amir Farooq announced that Zardari received 255 votes while his opponent, the chief of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and the opposition's joint candidate, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, got 119 votes. At least one vote was declared invalid.
In total, Zardari secured 411 votes while Achakzai got 181 votes out of the 1,044 eligible votes.
Zardari secured 47 seats in the Balochistan Assembly, while Achakzai received no votes.
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Achakzai got 91 votes, while Zardari secured 17 votes. One vote out of the 109 votes cast was rejected in the provincial assembly, and at least 36 votes were not cast. According to the formula, Achakzai's 91 votes were worth 40.8 votes in the province, while Zardari's votes weighed 7.62.
In the Sindh Assembly, 162 votes were cast, of which two were rejected. Zardari got 151 votes, while Achakzai secured nine votes. Per the electoral formula, Zardari's votes weighed 58 votes, while Achakzai's weighed three votes.
In Punjab, Zardari secured 246 votes in the Punjab Assembly.
Zardari is expected to take the oath as the 14th President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan tomorrow (Sunday). The oath-taking ceremony will be held at 4 pm at the Aiwan-e-Sadr. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa will administer the oath to the newly elected President.
Mahmood Khan Achakzai congratulates Zardari
Achakzai congratulated Zardari on being elected as the 14th President of Pakistan.
He added that for the first time, no votes were bought nor sold during Presidential elections.
Achakzai thanked all those who voted for him, pointing out that he got more votes than expected in the National Assembly and Senate.