Islamabad, Mar 2 (PTI) Pakistan’s former president Asif Ali Zardari and his rival ethnic Pashtun politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai on Saturday filed their nominations for the presidential election to be held on March 9.
Zardari, from Sindh province, is the co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party and has the support of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz as the two leading parties joined hands to form a coalition government after the February 8 elections produced a split mandate.
Zardari, 68, is set to become the president for the second time as he is being supported by the parties that enjoy a majority in the electoral college. He also served as president from 2008 to 2013.
Achakzai, 75, from Balochistan, is the chief of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party and was nominated by Imran Khan, the jailed leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. In Parliament, Achakzai would be supported by the Sunni Ittehad Council, the new home of the PTI-backed independent lawmakers.
Their nomination papers were filed for the presidential elections and the scrutiny of the nomination papers will be held on Monday. The elections will be held on March 9.
The new president will replace Dr Arif Alvi, who completed a five-year term last year. However, in the absence of the electoral college required to elect the president, Alvi is still in office.
The president is elected by an electoral college comprising members of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies. Voting is held through a secret ballot in Parliament and four provincial assemblies.
The president is the ceremonial head of the state and enjoys limited powers as he acts on the advice of the prime minister. PTI SH GSP AKJ GSP
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