ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is tipped to win the presidential election as he has secured the support of 345 electoral votes.
The PPP, which has allied with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) after the 2024 national polls, has successfully secured the support of 345 electoral votes for its candidate Zardari ahead of the March 9 presidential election. he said.
PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was informed of this achievement by members of the committee formed for the presidential campaign at a briefing ahead of the contest for the coveted post.
In the upcoming election, Zardari will face Mahmood Khan Achakzai, chairman of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), who has been nominated as the presidential candidate by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-backed Sunni Council Sunni Ittehad (SIC). .
The veteran PPP politician, who served as the 11th president from 2008 to 2013, has the support of Nawaz-led party Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) and others are eyeing his second presidential term after replacing outgoing President Dr. Arif Alvi.
The president is the country’s head of state and has the duty to “represent the unity of the republic”. The office holder must be a Muslim who must not be below 45 years of age and must meet the qualifications to be elected as an MNA.
The presidential election begins with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) announcing the polling date – a process the apex electoral body has already completed.
The president is elected by secret ballot at a special session of the parliament, the senate and all four regional assemblies according to article 41 paragraph 3 of the constitution after the formation of the electoral college.
In terms of the number of concerned legislators who would participate in the election campaign, the 692-vote electorate includes 96 senators, 336 members of the National Assembly (MNA) and 260 votes from the four provincial assemblies.
Under the second plan, the candidate with the highest number of votes would be declared the winner by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), while the federal government would announce the results of the presidential election through a public announcement.
