Islamabad, In a decisive victory, Mr. Asif Ali Zardari has been elected as the President of Pakistan, securing 411 votes, in contrast to Mr. Mehmood Khan Achakzai, who received 181 votes. The election, which took place across five locations including the Parliament House and Provincial Assembly Buildings in Quetta, Peshawar, Karachi, and Lahore, concluded with a significant turnout.
According to Election Commission of Pakistan, a total of 1185 seats were counted in the electoral college, although there were 92 seats where the result was withheld or the oath not taken by returned candidates. From the available 1093 voters, 1044 exercised their right to vote, with 9 votes subsequently declared invalid, leading to a final count of 1035 valid votes.
The vote count, adhering to the constitutional provisions, notably paragraph-18 of the Second Schedule, resulted in Mr. Zardari’s win. The Election Commission of Pakistan stated that the formal Result of Count on Form-VII would be prepared and forwarded to the Federal Government the following day for official notification.