Zardari wins Pakistan’s presidential election

ISLAMABAD | Xinhua | Ruling coalition candidate Asif Ali Zardari won the presidential election of Pakistan with an overwhelming lead on Saturday, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced.

Zardari won the election by taking 411 votes from all the electoral colleges, including parliament and four provincial assemblies, the commission said.

Zardari got 255 votes in the joint session of the two houses of the parliament, including the Senate and the National Assembly, 43 votes from the eastern Punjab province, eight from the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, 47 votes from the southwest Balochistan province and 58 votes from the southern Sindh province.

Zardari’s rival Mahmood Khan Achakzai, joint candidate of the opposition parties, secured a total of 181 votes.

Zardari, 68, will replace outgoing President Arif Alvi, who had already received a farewell guard of honor on Friday.

This will be Zardari’s second term as president after he served as the country’s 11th president from 2008 to 2013.

Zardari was elected member of the National Assembly in the general elections on Feb. 8, 2024. However, before taking oath as the president of the country, he will have to resign from the National Assembly. ■