Legislators in Pakistan elected Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, because the nation’s president on Saturday.
Zardari secured 411 votes from nationwide and provincial lawmakers. His opponent, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who’s backed by the celebration of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, acquired 181 votes.
The Pakistani presidency is a largely ceremonial position. Zardari was beforehand within the job between 2008 and 2013. Zardari was the joint candidate of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League, or PML-N, celebration of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his different political allies.
He was the favourite to win on Saturday due to his alliance with Pakistan’s different political dynasty, the Sharifs, and his key position in talks to kind a coalition authorities after the disputed nationwide parliamentary election on Feb. 8.
Sharif congratulated Zardari on changing into the nation’s new president with a majority vote.
Zardari “might be a logo of the energy of the federation,” Sharif stated in a press release.
He stated that he hoped that Zardari would fulfill his constitutional tasks in an environment friendly method.
Zardari’s rival Achakzai additionally congratulated him on his victory, saying the vote was held in a free and honest method. Zardari is thought for dealing with difficult political and different points in a cool method.
Last month’s ballot was overshadowed by militant violence, an unprecedented cellphone shutdown and vehement claims of vote-rigging from Khan’s celebration.
Khan was kicked out of workplace in 2022 and has confronted a lot of authorized challenges since then. He’s at present serving a number of jail phrases.
Zardari additionally has been dogged by prison circumstances. He spent 11 years behind bars earlier than changing into president however was by no means convicted and has denied any wrongdoing. He has been arrested and indicted on varied prices in recent times.
He will take the oath of workplace on Sunday.
Source: www.dailysabah.com