Pakistan is gearing up to elect a new president. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is all set to hold a poll for the office of the country’s president by March 9, two days before the retirement of half of the senators after completing their six-year term, Dawn reported quoting sources.
By the present senators the president will be elected, a senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) office-bearer said.
The six-party alliance has already announced Asif Ali Zardari as its consensus candidate for the country’s top constitutional office. The alliance is set to form a coalition government at the Centre under the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif.
After the resignation of the military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Zardari served as the president from September 2008 to 2013.
The National Election 2024 took place on February 8. The presidential election is needed to be conducted by March 9.
According to the formula used for the election of president, the vote of a senator is counted as a single vote. However, in the Sindh Assembly, one vote will be equal to nearly four votes.
In this way, Zardari will get an advantage in the presidential elections. Incumbent President Dr Arif Alvi’s five-year term was completed on September 9 last year. His tenure is extended.
The Senate polls will be held either in the last week of March or the first week of April.