Zardari elected president for historic second time with thumping majority

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, the joint candidate of the ruling alliance, on Saturday was elected as the country’s 14th president after he defeated PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) nominee Mahmood Khan Achakzai with a huge margin.

Zardari became the only civilian president to be elected for a historic second time. Earlier, he served as the 11th President of Pakistan from 2008 to 2013, and was the first politician to complete a full term in office.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announced the result of the presidential election and declared Asif Zardari winner by receiving 411 votes while his rival Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai got 181 votes.

In a statement issued here, the ECP noted total number of seats in the electoral college was 1,185 out of which 92 seats were vacant/ result withheld or oath was not taken by the returned candidates in the Senate and assemblies. The remaining 1,093 voters were to exercise their right of vote.

According to the result of count received from all the presiding officers, it pointed out the number of voters who have actually exercised their right of vote was 1,044. Out of these votes, nine votes had been declared invalid by the respective presiding officers. Thus, the total number of valid votes cast was 1,035.

The ECP said the result had been determined in the light of the provisions of paragraph-18 of the Second Schedule of the Constitution.

“Today election to the office of the President of Pakistan has been held at five locations, namely, Parliament House, Islamabad and in the provincial assembly buildings at Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi and Lahore. Results of count from all the five polling stations have been received in ECP Secretariat, as prepared by the presiding officers,” it said.

“The official result of count on Form-VII shall be prepared and forwarded to the federal government tomorrow after receipt of original record from the presiding officers, for issuance of formal notification by the federal government,” the commission said.

Earlier, in the National Assembly, as the presiding officer announced the elections result, the hall echoed with the slogans of ‘Jiay Bhutto’ and ‘Aik Zardari Sab Pe Bhari’ raised by the PPP legislators and workers in the visitors gallery.

All the PPP parliamentarians gathered around party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to congratulate him after the announcement of success of Asif Zardari with 255 votes in the presidential elections from both the Houses of the Parliament.

In the Senate and National Assembly, 375 senators and MNAs cast the votes, one vote was rejected and 17 opted to abstain from the process of voting.

The 17 MPs include 12 belonging to JUIF which had already announced to abstain and the other one from Jamaat-e-Islami, three senators of PTI — Senator Shibli Faraz, Senator Ijaz Chaudhry and Azam Swati — and Senator Syed Muzzafar Ali Shah of Grand Democratic Alliance.

Earlier, talking informally to the media on his arrival at the Parliament House, Zardari said that the 18th Amendment was done by the parliament while the PPP only proposed it. He added that what had been done earlier was done by parliament, and what would be done now would be done by parliament.

In the Punjab Assembly, Zardari bagged 43 electoral votes, while Achakzai trailed with 18 electoral votes. Polling for the presidential elections was held in the Punjab provincial assembly from 10am to 4pm. Slogans of ‘Jiay Bhutto’ were raised as Zardari won the presidential election.

In Sindh Assembly, Zardari bagged 58 electoral votes while Achakzai got three votes. The Sindh Assembly hall was designated as the polling station and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Aqeel Abbasi performed the duties of the presiding officer.

The polling started at 10 am and continued till 3pm, during which all present members cast their votes. The MPAs were allowed entry into the assembly with their identity cards for voting purposes. To ensure the secrecy of the vote, designated areas in the assembly were arranged for confidential voting.

The Election Commissioner of Sindh and other officials provided services for the polling, while Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah served as polling agents for Zardari. PPP’s 116 MPAs, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan’s (MQMP) 36, and nine independent members supported by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) exercised their voting rights. JI MPA Muhammad Farooq did not participate in the voting and the JUIF had already boycotted the presidential elections.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, the PPP co-chairman secured eight electoral votes and the PkMAP chief got 41 votes. Around 109 members of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, including Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati and opposition leader Dr Ibadullah cast their ballots in the presidential election. About 118 members of the KP’s 145-member assembly have taken oath. Twenty-one women elected on the reserved seats and four minority members of the assembly could not cast their votes after the Peshawar High Court barred them from taking oath. The elections in two provincial assembly constituencies could not be held due to the death of candidates.

Nine members of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl did not cast their votes after announcing a boycott of the elections. More than 350 security personnel were deployed at the KP Assembly to ensure peaceful election.

In Balochistan Assembly, Zardari got 47 electoral votes, while Achakzai could not secure any vote. Twelve JUIF members abstained from the electoral process. Hidayat-ur-Rehman of ‘Haq Do Tehreek’, Balochistan, one JI member as well as BNP-Awami member opted not to cast their vote.

Meanwhile, Achakzai congratulated Zardari on winning the presidential race and conceded defeat, terming the poll as “first of its kind” and free of horse-trading. Terming the election as “beginning of a new era,” Achakzai told reporters that polls were held in good environment and no horse-trading was witnessed during the election of the head of the state.

The PkMAP chief also thanked the PTI-backed lawmakers for voting in his support. However, he specifically complained about the JUIF and National Party (NP) for not casting their votes despite announcing to sit in the opposition. “In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), all 90 lawmakers voted for me. The PTI lawmakers cast their ballots for me in the presence of cameras. A good trend has been set [...] next matters would be discussed in parliament,” said Achakzai.

He criticised Dr Abdul Malik for promising to vote for him and backtracking later. “Dr Abdul Malik was willing to vote for us till night but after that he changed his mind, at least Abdul Malik would have given me one vote as he had made a promise,” he said.

Achakzai said that some people in Pakistan think that everything can be bought here, but there are some people who are against it. “I thank Allah that I am on this side, a new era is beginning in the country that there is no buying and selling,” he said.

The PkMAP chief said that PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif should listen to the voice of the serious people of his party. “We have to respect the decision of the nation that voted for one party. We [political parties] also have to support each other,” the politician said, however, he opposed taking parliamentary conflicts to the judiciary.

At the conclusion of the key electoral event, Achakzai urged for collaboration amongst parties in the national interests in testing times.

To a question regarding JUIF’s decision not to take part in the presidential poll, Achakzai replied that Maulana Fazlur Rehman has seemingly fallen asleep. The PTI-SIC candidate said that the incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan was his friend since the formation of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). He said that, overall, 36 parties, including PTI, had gathered and discussed the Charter of Democracy.

“However, I took parliament’s side after distancing myself from the PTI founder after an attack on parliament and other events,” Achakzai said while pointing towards the May 9 riots without mentioning them. He added that he was ready to render any sacrifice for the sanctity of parliament.

The politician said that nobody could oppose the fact that the Imran-founded party won several seats in the general elections 2024. He stressed finding a constitutional solution to allocate reserved seats to the PTI-backed candidates, and refrain from exercising any illegal move which deprives constitutional rights of women and minorities for their representation in the assemblies.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, while congratulating Asif Zardari, said that he would be a symbol of strength of the Federation. In a message, Shehbaz said that the Senate, National Assembly and elected members of the four provincial assemblies have expressed their confidence in Zardari. He hoped that as President of Pakistan, Zardari would fulfill constitutional responsibilities in an efficient manner. He said coalition parties will work together for development and prosperity of Pakistan.

The prime minister also arrived at the Zardari House later in the evening to personally greet and express best wishes to the newly-elected president. The PPP co-chairman thanked the prime minister, who is also the PMLN president, for his party’s support to him in the presidential elections. Senator Ishaq Dar, MNA Attaullah Tarar and former caretaker Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi were also present on the occasion.

PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif, meanwhile, telephoned Asif Zardari and conveyed his best wishes and expressed solidarity for Zardari. In response, the PPP co-chairman thanked Nawaz for his support and goodwill. The leaders reportedly engaged in discussions regarding collaborative efforts to address the challenges confronting the country, particularly focusing on matters concerning national development and stability.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz congratulated Zardari and highlighted the significance of electing a leader who championed the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khapay’, emphasising its positive implications for the Federation. Expressing optimism about Zardari’s presidency, Maryam asserted that his tenure would strengthen the institutions of the President’s House, Parliament, and democracy as a whole. She emphasised the potential for a Federation-friendly president to accelerate the government’s agenda of public welfare.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti met Asif Zardari to congratulate him. Bugti along with former Balochistan CMs Nawabzada Sanaullah Zehri, Abdul Qudous Bizenjo and MPAs Ali Madad Jatak, Mir Sadiq Umrani, Agha Shakeel Durrani, Saifullah Magsi called on the newly-elected president at the Zardari House.

PPP Vice President Senator Sherry Rehman also congratulated Zardari. “Congratulations to Asif Ali Zardari, his family and all his friends on becoming the President of Pakistan,” she said. Senator Sherry Rehman said only Asif Zardari had the ability to get the country out of the politics of division and hate. “Aik Bar Phir Zardari (once again Zardari),” she added.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Deputy Speaker Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah also felicitated Zardari, and expressed their belief that a seasoned and visionary Zardari as President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan would lead this nation on the path of progress and prosperity by furthering the cause of democracy in the country.

Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party President Abdul Aleem Khan also felicitated Zardari. In his message, Aleem emphasised the significance of the Presidency as a symbol of unity for the nation. He stressed the importance of national cohesion, urging all citizens to move forward together towards progress and prosperity.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of Iran to Pakistan Dr Reza Amiri Moghadam congratulated Asif Zardari on his election to the office of the President. “I would like to express my sincere congratulations on the election of H. E. Asif Ali Zardari, as the 14th President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the ambassador said in a statement. According to Ambassador, Asif Ali Zardari reminded them the “glorious and golden days” of the relations between the two brotherly, friendly and neighboring countries of Iran and Pakistan. The envoy wished for a boost in the all-out relations and ties between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during his tenure.

Earlier, the ECP issued an order, rejecting the application filed by Achakzai who had sought delay/ postponement of the presidential poll. “And whereas, Mr Mehmood Khan Achakzai candidate for the Election to the office of President moved the subject application for postponement of the election to en office of president on the grounds that the Electoral College(s) is in complete for want of vacancies of the reserved seats. He has further pointed out that the issue of allocution of reserved seats to Sunni Ittehad Council is sub-judice before the Honourable Peshawar High,” it says.

The two-page order issued by the ECP five-member bench read, “The present petitioner appeared during the scrutiny of his nomination papers before the returning officer and did not raise any objection to the incompletion of Electoral College and submitted his nomination papers thereby acquiescing to the election to the office of the president.”

The order points out that Clause 3 of Article 41 of the Constitution provides that the president would be elected in accordance with the provisions of Second Schedule of the members of an electoral college consisting of the member of both the Houses of Parliament and the members of provincial assemblies. The order noted that the Electoral College comprising the National Assembly, the Senate and all four provincial assemblies were fully functional and had elected the prime minister and chief ministers.

“...the Electoral College cannot be deemed to be incomplete for any vacancy(ies). Section 130 of the Elections Act 2017 provides that vacancy in Electoral College not to invalidate election. Although the provision of Section 130 pertains to election of member of the Senate but as there is no direct provision on the same issue in the Constitution or the Presidential Election Rules, the Honourable Supreme Court.”