Asif Ali Zardari, the co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), has secured victory as the 14th President of Pakistan, triumphing over Mahmood Khan Achakzai of the Sunni Ittehad Council.
Vote counting for the presidential election commenced after the closure of polls at 4 pm, presided over by Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq during the joint session of Parliament.
Nominated by the newly elected coalition government, PPP’s Asif Ali Zardari emerged as the presidential nominee.
Zardari’s re-election to a second term as president of Pakistan was achieved with an overwhelming majority.
In the Punjab Assembly, Asif Ali Zardari garnered 246 votes, while Mahmood Khan Achakzai secured 100 votes.
Meanwhile, in the Sindh Assembly, PPP’s leader received 151 votes, with Mahmood Khan Achakzai trailing with only 9 votes.
Contrarily, Mahmood Khan Achakzai outpaced Asif Ali Zardari in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Assembly with 91 votes, leaving Zardari with just 17 votes.
In the Balochistan legislature, the coalition government candidate received 47 votes, while his opponent received none.
The electoral contest pitted PPP’s co-chairman against Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, with backing from the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC).
Asif Ali Zardari garnered support from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Awami National Party (ANP), the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and other parties.
Earlier, Zardari, accompanied by PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N leader Ishaq Dar, arrived at the Parliament House to cast their votes.
