PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari has been elected as the 14th president of Pakistan with a wide margin, defeating the opposition candidate Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

As per the final vote tally, Zardari, a former president and candidate fielded by the ruling alliance, won 255 votes, while Achakzai polled 119 votes.

In total, Asif Zardari bagged 411 electoral votes in parliament and the four assemblies, while Achakzai got 181 votes.

Lawmakers across the country in the Senate, National as well as the four provincial assemblies cast their votes to elect the president. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had finalized all arrangements for the process, which commenced at 10am and concluded at 4pm.

Distribution of votes

After the voting period ended, the counting of votes started. As per the vote count, Asif Zardari clinched 17 votes in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, while his opponent Achakzai grabbed 91 votes. A total of 109 votes were polled out of which one was rejected. Achakzai bagged 40.8 electoral votes in KP and Zardari 7.62.

In the Balochistan Assembly, all 47 votes have been bagged by Asif Zardari, as claimed by provincial Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti. In terms of electoral votes, This is also the number of electoral votes polled against both candidates.

In the Sindh Assembly, Zardari got 151 votes, while Achakzai polled nine votes. A total of 162 votes were polled out of which one was rejected. Two of the cast votes were not included as per court orders. In terms of electoral votes, the PPP leader bagged 58 votes against Achakzai's three.

🚨'Electoral Votes': Election highlights across assemblies! 🚨

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly

🔹Mahmood Achakzai: 40.80 votes

🔹Asif Ali Zardari: 7.62 votes

Sindh Assembly

🔹Asif Zardari: 58 electoral votes

🔹Mehmood Jan Achakzai: 3 electoral votes

Balochistan Assembly… pic.twitter.com/1qjUb8PUyw
— SAMAA TV (@SAMAATV) March 9, 2024

In Punjab Assembly, Zardari received 246 votes and Achakzai 100. while six votes were rejected. In terms of electoral votes, the PPP leader bagged 43 votes and his opponent 17.5.

PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, the joint presidential candidate of the PML-N, PPP, and other allied parties in the coalition government, stands poised to potentially secure his second term as president if successful in this election. He faces competition from Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party President Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who is the joint candidate representing the opposition.

Also Read: PTI won’t boycott presidential election: Barrister Gohar

The respective houses of parliament have been declared the polling stations where the election is being held through a secret ballot. The Parliament House in Islamabad would cater to senators and MNAs, while the four provincial assemblies would take on the role of polling stations for the respective provincial lawmakers.

PPP Senator Sherry Rehman is acting as Asif Zardari's polling agent, while Senator Shafiq Tareen is representing Achakzai.

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamir Farooq has been appointed as the presiding officer in the Parliament House. Zardari's children, Bilawal, Bakhtawar and Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, are also present in the Parliament House for the presidential election.

Boycott

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has decided against voting in the presidential election, while the Jamaat-e-Islami also decided against participating in the process.

A JI spokesperson said the party would not participate in the presidential election, maintaining that the polling in these assemblies is also fake. "Votes and results were both stolen in the elections. The PM and his cabinet are all fake," Qaiser Sharif commented.

The two parties together had 20 senators and MNAs in parliament, who abstained from voting in the presidential election. The JUI-F has 11 MNAs and four senators. The JI's lone senator, Mushtaq Ahmed, and PML-F's Muzaffar Shah also did not cast their votes. Moreover, the PTI's three senators also did not show up to vote, including Shibli Faraz, Azam Swati and Ejaz Chaudhry.

Swearing-in

The new president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is scheduled to be sworn in tomorrow (Sunday). The oath-taking ceremony will be held on Sunday at 4pm at the President's House. Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa will administer the oath to the newly elected president.

The Presidency has issued invitations to the guests to be invited to the ceremony.

Polling stations

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 118 members of the provincial assembly are exercising their voting rights. The Sunni Ittehad Council has 89 members, JUI-F nine, PML-N eight, PPP five, PTI-P two and ANP one. Four independent members are also part of the provincial House.

In the Punjab Assembly, election commission member Nisar Durrani has been appointed as the presiding officer for the presidential election, for which 400 ballot papers have been printed.

Durrani told the media the election process would be fair, transparent, and peaceful. The treasury candidate's polling agent is Khalil Tahir Sandhu and Rana Shehbaz the opposition's.

Moreover, Sindh High Court Chief Justice Aqeel Abbasi is acting as the presiding officer during the polling process. There are 163 members in the provincial house of 168, with the PPP and MQM having a combined strength of 150. Asif Ali Zardari is expected to get 58 votes from the House, with 45.66 votes from the PPP lawmakers in the electoral college of the Sindh Assembly.

Achakzai, on the other hand, is expected to get 3.4 votes from Sindh, while the votes of two PPP lawmakers would not be counted.

The PPP has a huge majority of 116 members in the Sindh Assembly, followed by the MQM’s 36 members. Under the presidential election procedure, 2.54 members of the assembly are equal to one vote.

The MQM has also decided to vote for Zardari.

In the Balochistan Assembly also, the PPP, PML-N, National Party, BAP and BNP have all decided to vote for Asif Zardari. Moreover, the Jamaat-e-Islami and Haq Do Tehreek have also announced their support for Zardari.

However, the BNP-Awami has decided to boycott the presidential election, while the stance of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is unclear.

Polling guidelines

Election commission sources have issued directions for the lawmakers to cast their votes in the presidential election.

According to the procedure, the lawmakers would be given white-colored ballot papers to poll their votes that mention the names of both candidates in Urdu. The voters would be asked to mark a cross before the name of the candidate they wish to vote for, while a vote would be considered wasted if someone tick-marked a candidate’s name.

Security measures

However, the atmosphere is tense, with strict security measures implemented across the Red Zone of Islamabad. Section 144 has been imposed citywide, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Over 600 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process, with strict regulations in place to restrict unauthorized access to the parliament premises. Only individuals possessing valid passes will be permitted entry into the designated areas.

Also Read: National Party vows to extend support to Asif Zardari in presidential elections

The Punjab Police chief has said that Dolphin and Elite Force will patrol the provincial assembly and its surrounding areas.

On Friday, the election commission had upheld its decision to proceed with the scheduled polling, dismissing a request from opposition candidate Mahmood Achakzai to postpone the presidential election.

This decision underscores the commission's commitment to upholding democratic norms and adhering to the established electoral timeline.

As the clock ticks closer to the commencement of voting, anticipation and speculation are rife regarding the outcome of this closely contested presidential election. All eyes are on the Assembly as the representatives of the people prepare to exercise their democratic right and shape the future leadership of the nation.