ISLAMABAD: The polling to elect the 14th president of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the next five years concluded at 4 pm, with Asif Ali Zardari, the joint candidate of the ruling coalition, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the candidate of the Sunni Ittehad Council, vying for the office of President.
An Election Commission of Pakistan official announced the conclusion of voting at the designated 4 pm time, allowing members present in the hall to proceed with casting their votes. Subsequently, the counting process will be commenced shortly in the presence of polling agents representing both candidates.
A joint session of parliament was held at the Parliament House in Islamabad on Saturday, during which members of the National Assembly and the Senate exercised their right to vote.
The voting process to elect the 14th president of the country started in the National Assembly at around 10 am, with Abdul Hakeem Baloch from the People’s Party casting the first vote, followed by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif,
former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, presidential candidate Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman of the People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Ishaq Dar, Omar Ayub and others.
Two counters have been established in the National Assembly Hall for voters. Those whose names begin with letters A to N cast their votes at Counter One, while those with names from O to Z voted at Counter Two.
Similarly, provincial assemblies also convened their sessions for the election. Polling for the presidential elections took place from 10 am to 4 pm in Parliament House and the four provincial assemblies.
Stringent security arrangements have been put in place in Islamabad’s red zone for this event. Section 144 has been imposed citywide, with over 600 police officers assigned to security duties. Access to the red zone has been restricted, allowing entry only to individuals with valid passes for parliament.
The election of the President involves an electoral college composed of members from the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four
provincial assemblies.
The present ruling coalition, consisting of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Zia (PML-Z) and the National Party, has endorsed former president Asif Ali Zardari.
Across the six houses of parliament, including the National Assembly, Senate, and four provincial assemblies, there are a total of 1,102 members in the electoral college. Due to vacant positions, the electoral votes will be limited to 662 out of 696. For a candidate to win, they must secure at least 332 votes.
In the Presidential Election Voting Formula Out of the 100 total seats in the Senate, five are vacant. The National Assembly has 336 seats, with 302 eligible voters participating in the presidential election.
Unlike the National Assembly and the Senate, where votes are distributed based on the total number of members, in the four provincial assemblies, each member’s vote carries equal weight, reflecting the
size of the Balochistan Assembly, the smallest provincial assembly in the country.
In the Punjab Assembly, with a total of 371 seats, the vote of approximately 5.70 members is equivalent to one vote when divided by 65. Similarly, in the Sindh Assembly, with 168 seats, the votes of approximately 2.58 members are counted as one when divided by 65.
When the total number of seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, which is 145, is divided by 65, the votes of approximately 2.24 members are considered as one. However, due to the smaller size of the Balochistan Assembly compared to other provinces, each of the 65 members here is considered as one vote. The aggregate number of votes cast for the presidential election will amount to 700.
The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) serves as the returning officer for the presidential election. Meanwhile, the Chief Justices of the High Courts in the four provincial assemblies, along with the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court in the National Assembly, act as presid
ing officers.
Senators and National Assembly members are involved in the polling process at Parliament House, while provincial assembly members take part in polling at designated stations within their respective assemblies.
Meanwhile, despite efforts from both the government and opposition, Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s support couldn’t be secured in the presidential election. The members of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), including MNAs, Senators, and assembly members from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, refrained from voting, in compliance with the decision of JUI-F’s Majlis-e-Shura, which was to abstain from voting, making them ineligible for the presidential election. Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) also boycotted the presidential elections.