On Saturday, the Pakistani Parliament elected Asif Ali Zardari as the country’s president for the second time, marking a significant political event.
Zardari, the widower of the former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated, and the father of former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, secured the presidency with 411 votes from national and regional deputies.
His competitor, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who was supported by the party of the former Prime Minister and currently imprisoned Imran Khan, received 181 votes.
It’s important to note that the presidency in Pakistan is largely ceremonial. Zardari previously held this position from 2008 to 2013.
His victory this Saturday was highly anticipated due to his alliance with the other political family in Pakistan, the Sharifs, and his pivotal role in the negotiations to form a coalition government following the contentious national parliamentary elections on February 8.
