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| Asif Ali Zardari and Mahmood Khan Achakzai |
The Prime Minister of Pakistan has been elected. Now is the time for presidential election. Voting for the presidential election will be held next week.
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai will fight against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari.
Pakistan held general elections last month keeping outside the most popular party, the PTI. Voting ended amid widespread irregularities and violence. The results are also rigged. Despite all these barriers, PTI candidates secured victory in maximum number of seats (93).
In terms of results, Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Asif Ali Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) came second and third respectively. But PTI could not form the government despite getting more seats. PML-N (75 seats) and PPP (54 seats) have taken the opportunity forming alliance.
PTI and several other parties have been protesting against irregularities and rigging of results since the polls. Meanwhile, the struggle to form the government continues. The first session of the National Assembly took place last Thursday (February 29) after the elections. The newly elected parliamentarians took oath on the same day.
On Sunday (March 3) the voting for the Prime Minister election was held. PML-N's candidate Shahbaz Sharif was elected the country's 24th Prime Minister after defeating PTI's prime ministerial candidate Omar Ayub. He got 201 votes. Omar Ayub got 92 votes.
The National Assembly of Pakistan has a total of 336 seats. Out of this 70 seats are reserved. 60 for women and 10 for minorities. However, the voting for the post of Prime Minister was held without electing the members of the reserved seats.
After the election of the Prime Minister, the process of the president election has started. PTI-backed Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai is fighting against PPP-PML-N candidate Asif Ali Zardari.
Both the leaders have already organized their teams before the fight. Confirmed numerical support as well. The final fight will be on March 9. The nomination papers of both the candidates were filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday (March 2).
Two PPP leaders Farooq H Naik and Salim Mandiwala submitted documents on behalf of Asif Ali Zardari, father of PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and husband of late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
On the other hand, Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Sardar Latif Khosa and Omar Ayub submitted nomination papers for Makhmood Khan Achakzai.
Regional leader Achakzai was elected member of National Assembly from NA-266 constituency in Balochistan in the election.
He has already secured the support of the PTI and Sunni Ittihad Council (SIC) alliance. Now he is seeking the support of Jamiat Ulama Islam-Fazal (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
Jailed PTI leader Imran Khan urged newly elected members of his party to vote for the veteran politician.
On the other hand, Asif Ali Zardari, elected from Sindh NA-207, is contesting for the presidency with the support of PPP and Sharif brother's party PML-N. Apart from PML-N, he also confirmed the support of Awami National Party (ANP).
The current president of Pakistan. Arif Alvi is serving an extended term after completing his five-year term on September 9 last year.
According to Article 44(1) of the Constitution of Pakistan, the President shall hold office for five years from the date of assumption of office. But he will remain in this position until the next president is elected. Dr. Alvi is the fourth democratically elected president of Pakistan to complete a five-year term.
The three previous presidents who completed their full terms were Chaudhry Fazal Elahi (fifth president, 1973 to 1978), Asif Ali Zardari (11th, 2008 to 2013), and Mamnoon Hussain (12th, 2013 to 2018). Dr. Alvi is the third consecutive president to receive a full term and the first extended term.
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