Pakistan's parliamentarians vote to reinstate Benazir Bhutto's widow after election marred by claims of fraud.
Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party, was elected for a second term as Pakistan's president with support from the ruling coalition in parliamentary and local assembly votes.
Zardari secured 411 votes, while his opponent Mehmood Khan Achakzai, backed by jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's party, secured 181 votes, the Election Commission of Pakistan said on Saturday. , announced the results of aggregating the votes of national, local, and Diet members. Senator.
Zardari, the widow of Pakistan's assassinated first female leader Benazir Bhutto, formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party after Pakistan's Feb. 8 election marred by allegations of rigging. They were voted into mainly ceremonial posts by the PPP they concluded. .
Zardari is scheduled to take the oath at a ceremony on Sunday.
PMLN's Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as prime minister this Monday under the terms of a coalition agreement that also includes a number of smaller parties.
Khan was imprisoned and barred from running in elections, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was subject to arrest and censorship, with members forced to run as independents.
PTI said mobile internet outages and delayed results on election day were used to cover up nationwide irregularities that prevented victory. The election was also marred by allegations of vote tampering.
The PTI won more seats than any other party last month, but fell far short of the majority needed to govern, paving the way for a coalition between the PMLN and the PPP.
PTI chairman and barrister Gohar Ali Khan said Zardari's selection was “unconstitutional”.
The party is currently filing a lawsuit seeking the allocation of seats reserved for women and minorities in parliament.
Zardari, 68, came to office in 2008 following a vote of sympathy for the gun-and-bomb assassination of Benazir Bhutto, who was running for re-election.
He held the office of president until 2013, when he reduced the powers of the office.
Pakistan's once-powerful presidency was reduced to a nominal status after Zardari's constitutional reforms in 2010.
During his tenure, he faced challenges ranging from the Taliban threat to tensions with the military after a 2011 U.S. special forces operation in Pakistan to kill al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. .
Zardari faced corruption allegations and spent more than 11 years in prison, but has bounced back from various scandals.
In 2009, the New York Times said he had a knack for “skillful evasion,” or “getting yourself out of tight spots you've gotten yourself into.”