Pakistani presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
An indirect
presidential election was held on 6 September 2008 in Pakistan
. The Electoral College of Pakistan
- a joint sitting of the Senate
, National Assembly
and Provincial Assemblies - elected a new President after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf
. As required by the constitution, Muhammad Mian Soomro
(in his position as Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
) automatically became acting President on 18 August 2008, upon the resignation of Musharraf. The constitution required that a new President be elected by Parliament within 30 days; Soomro was considered loyal to Musharraf, and it was considered certain that he would be replaced in that election.
is formed by a joint sitting of the six leading political bodies in Pakistan:
So that each province has an equal vote, all provincial assemblies are given exactly 65 votes in the electoral college. This mean that the each member of the Punjab Assembly has 65/370 = 0.176 votes, each member of the Sindh Assembly has 65/166 = 0.392 votes, each member of the NWFP Assembly has 65/124 = 0.524 votes and each member of the Balochistan Assembly has 65/65 = 1 vote.
The political composition of these bodies at the time of the election was:
was elected President of Pakistan
, as Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq announced that "Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in the parliament," In Sindh
, Zardari had 62 of the 65 electoral votes while his 2 main opponents, got zero vote; in North West Frontier Province Zardari got 56 votes against 5 by Siddiqui and one by Hussain; in Baluchistan, 59 votes while Siddiqui and Hussain got 2 each. BBC
reported that Zardari "won 459 votes, far more than the 352 votes that would have guaranteed him victory." New York Times said that Zardari would be sworn in "as soon as Saturday night or as late as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats and officials said."
The new president, who obtains the largest number of votes, will serve for 5 years as Pakistan's 11th since 1956, when the country became a republic, excluding acting presidents. Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate members finished casting their votes, amid the death of 12 people, after a suicide
car bomber blasted a security checkpoint on the outskirts of Peshawar
.
activists in Pakistan held rallies and distributed sweets when the results were announced. The main opposition party, PML-N, said it was the "success of the democratic process in the country" but said he should resign as PPP co-chairman, as the President has traditionally been apolitical, and to transfer Presidential powers back to parliament. The newspaper 'Dawn'
described Zardari as the most controversial President of Pakistan at the time of his election, and urged him to "dispel the impression of a political wheeler-dealer and rise to the requirements of statesmanship". The The Regional Times of Sindh
said Zardari had one of the stiffist jobs in the world as leader of the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic country, a frontline war on terror
state and facing "growing militancy" and "crippling economic woes". However, they said his "years of suffering have made him wiser and headstrong" and he has "displayed great acumen and maturity since returning to the political scene". Privately, the Pakistan military, bureaucracy and business elite were said to be "aghast" at the result given past corruption allegations.
The United States
Secretary of State welcomed Zardari's victory, praising his "emphasis on fighting terrorism" and "very strong words of friendship and alliance with the United States".
Indirect election
Indirect election is a process in which voters in an election don't actually choose between candidates for an office but rather elect persons who will then make the choice. It is one of the oldest form of elections and is still used today for many upper houses and presidents...
presidential election was held on 6 September 2008 in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The Electoral College of Pakistan
Electoral College of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is chosen by an electoral college, in Pakistan. According to article 41 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan, this electoral college consists of the Senate, the National Assembly of Pakistan, and the Members of the Provincial Assemblies. Members of the National Assembly...
- a joint sitting of the Senate
Senate of Pakistan
The Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
, National Assembly
National Assembly of Pakistan
The National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
and Provincial Assemblies - elected a new President after the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
. As required by the constitution, Muhammad Mian Soomro
Muhammad Mian Soomro
Muhammad Mian Soomro is a Pakistani politician who has been the Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan since 2003. Soomro comes from a renowned political family of Sindh that has been active in public life since 1923...
(in his position as Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan
The current Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan is Farooq Naek since 12 March, 2009.The first Chairman of the Senate was Justice Khan Habibullah Khan Marwat.-History:...
) automatically became acting President on 18 August 2008, upon the resignation of Musharraf. The constitution required that a new President be elected by Parliament within 30 days; Soomro was considered loyal to Musharraf, and it was considered certain that he would be replaced in that election.
Composition of the Electoral College
The Electoral College of PakistanElectoral College of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is chosen by an electoral college, in Pakistan. According to article 41 of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan, this electoral college consists of the Senate, the National Assembly of Pakistan, and the Members of the Provincial Assemblies. Members of the National Assembly...
is formed by a joint sitting of the six leading political bodies in Pakistan:
- the Senate of PakistanSenate of PakistanThe Senate of Pakistan is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the senate and each senator has a term of six years...
, - the National Assembly of PakistanNational Assembly of PakistanThe National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
, - the Provincial Assembly of the PunjabProvincial Assembly of the PunjabThe Provincial Assembly of the Punjab is a unicameral legislature of elected representatives of the province of Punjab, which is located in Lahore in eastern Pakistan...
, - the Provincial Assembly of SindhProvincial Assembly of SindhThe Provincial Assembly of the Sindh is a unicameral house of elected representatives of people of Sindh established under Article 106 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan...
, - the Provincial Assembly of BalochistanProvincial Assembly of BalochistanThe Provincial Assembly of Balochistan is one of the four provincial assemblies of Pakistan, and the seat of the Government of Balochistan. The Balochistan assembly is the unicameral legislature of the province of Balochistan. It was established under Article 106 of the Constitution of the Pakistan...
and - the Provincial Assembly of NWFP
So that each province has an equal vote, all provincial assemblies are given exactly 65 votes in the electoral college. This mean that the each member of the Punjab Assembly has 65/370 = 0.176 votes, each member of the Sindh Assembly has 65/166 = 0.392 votes, each member of the NWFP Assembly has 65/124 = 0.524 votes and each member of the Balochistan Assembly has 65/65 = 1 vote.
The political composition of these bodies at the time of the election was:
| Body | PPP Pakistan Peoples Party The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan... | PML-N Pakistan Muslim League (N) The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism... | PML-Q Pakistan Muslim League (Q) The Pakistan Muslim League or officially Pakistan Muslim League is a centrist, modern political party in Pakistan. The present form of PML-Q was formed prior to 2002 general elections.... | MQM Muttahida Qaumi Movement Muttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh... | ANP Awami National Party The Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International... | MMA Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal is a coalition of Islamist parties that was formed in 2002 to electorally challenge the Pakistan Parliament's incumbent parties... | PML-F Pakistan Muslim League (F) The Pakistan Muslim League is a political party in Pakistan. It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League. The letter 'F' in its name stands for functional. It is primarily associated with the Sindhi religious leader Pir Pagara... | PPP-S | BNP-A Balochistan National Party The Balochistan National Party or Balochistan National Party is a political party in Balochistan, Pakistan... | NPP National Peoples Party The National Peoples Party is a political party in Pakistan most active in the province of Sindh and southern parts of Punjab. It was founded in 1986 by Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi after falling out with Benazir Bhutto and leaving her Pakistan Peoples Party.In the 2008 Pakistani general elections the... | Other/Independents | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Assembly | 124 | 91 | 54 | 25 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 340 |
| Senate | 9 | 4 | 38 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | - | 19 | 100 |
| Punjab Assembly | 107 | 170 | 84 | - | - | 2 | 3 | - | - | - | 4 | 370 |
| Sindh Assembly | 93 | - | 9 | 51 | 2 | - | 8 | - | - | 3 | - | 166 |
| Balochistan Assembly | 12 | - | 19 | - | 4 | 10 | - | - | 7 | - | 13 | 65 |
| NWFP Assembly | 30 | 9 | 6 | - | 48 | 14 | - | 6 | - | - | 11 | 124 |
| Total (weighted) | 216 | 130 | 132 | 51 | 45 | 42 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 56 | 700 |
| Source: Election Commission of Pakistan Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan is an independent and autonomous constitutional body charged with the function of conducting transparent, free, fair and impartial elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies. The holding of elections to the office of the President and the Senate are,... 's tally of seats of the National Assembly, Senate, and Provincial Assemblies. Also given is the counting procedure of Presidential election |
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Candidates
Nominations closed on Tuesday 26 August.- On 18 August the ruling Pakistan Peoples PartyPakistan Peoples PartyThe Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
co-chairmen, Bilawal Bhutto ZardariBilawal Bhutto ZardariBilawal Zardari Bhutto is the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party. He is the only son of President Asif Ali Zardari and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.-Early life and education:...
and Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
, said that the next president should come from the PPP as they had the largest number of seats in parliament. - On 19 August the ruling coalition discussed the presidency and was reported to have considered five candidates:
- Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
PPP co-chairman - Mahmood Khan AchakzaiMahmood Khan AchakzaiMahmood Khan Achakzai is a Pakistani politician and chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, an Afghan Pashtun nationalist party based in the pashtun belt of Pakistan. The son of activist Abdul Samad Khan Achakzai, Achakzai remained a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan three times...
, leader of the Pakhtun-khwa Milli Awami PartyPakhtun-khwa Milli Awami PartyPukhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party / ) is a Pashtun democratic political party in Pakistan. The moto of PkMAP is to unite Pushtuns of Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa provinces of Pakistan.Mahmood Khan Achakzai is the current party chairman... - Aftab Shaban MiraniAftab Shaban MiraniAftab Shaban Mirani is a politician from Shikarpur, Sindh, Pakistan. The former defence minister is now a representative for the NA-202 constituency.- Family :Aftab Shahban Mirani's wife Ms Safia Aftab Mirani died on October 5, 2007...
, former PPP Chief Minister of SindhChief Minister of SindhThe Chief Minister of Sindh is elected by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh to serve as the head of the provincial government in Sindh, Pakistan. The current Chief Minister is Qaim Ali Shah, who belongs to Pakistan Peoples Party... - Fehmida Mirza, PPP speaker of the National Assembly of PakistanNational Assembly of PakistanThe National Assembly of Pakistan is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also compromises the President of Pakistan and Senate . The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad...
from Sindh - Faryal TalpurFaryal Talpur-Political career:Talpur participated in the Pakistani presidential election, 2007 from the platform of Pakistan Peoples Party and is a Member of Pakistan's National Assembly...
, PPP NazimNazimA nazim is the coordinator of cities and towns in Pakistan. Nazim is the title in Urdu of the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council....
(mayor) of a city Sindh and sister of Asif Ali Zardari
- Asif Ali Zardari
- On 20 August the opposition Muttahida Qaumi MovementMuttahida Qaumi MovementMuttahida Qaumi Movement generally known as MQM, is a liberal-secular political party of Pakistan. It is generally known as a party which holds immense mobilizing potential in province of Sindh...
- which backed Musharraf - said the President should not come from PunjabPunjab (Pakistan)Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and backed Pakistan Peoples PartyPakistan Peoples PartyThe Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
leader Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
- who is from SindhSindhSindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
- for president. - On 21 August the Pakistan Muslim League (N)Pakistan Muslim League (N)The Pakistan Muslim League is a conservative political party in Pakistan, affiliated with Western conservatism...
was reported to have suggested three people for the presidency:- Fakhruddin G. EbrahimFakhruddin G. EbrahimThe Honourable Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim , TI, is a retired Pakistani Associate Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, and Senior Advocate Supreme Court, and peace activist. Ebrahim also served as the interim Law Minister from 18 July 1993 till 19 October 1993, and interim Justice Minister 5...
, a lawyer - Ataullah MengalAtaullah MengalSardar Ataullah Khan Mengal , popularly known as Sardar Ataullah Mengal, is a well-known political and feudal figure of Pakistan hailing from Balochistan. He has been campaigning a nationalist and separatist movement in Pakistan for over four decades. He is the head of the Shahizai Mangal tribe...
, a nationalist leader from BaluchistanBalochistan (Pakistan)Balochistan is one of the four provinces or federating units of Pakistan. With an area of 134,051 mi2 or , it is the largest province of Pakistan, constituting approximately 44% of the total land mass of Pakistan. According to the 1998 population census, Balochistan had a population of...
, and - Saeeduzzaman SiddiquiSaeeduzzaman SiddiquiChief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui or Saeed-uz-zaman Siddiqui in Lukhnow, British India; is a Pakistani Jurist and legislator who formerly served as the Chief Justice of Pakistan at the Supreme Court of Pakistan...
, a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of PakistanSupreme Court of PakistanThe Supreme Court is the apex court in Pakistan's judicial hierarchy, the final arbiter of legal and constitutional disputes. The Supreme Court has a permanent seat in Islamabad. It has number of Branch Registries where cases are heard. It has a number of de jure powers which are outlined in the...
- Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim
- On 22 August, the PPP officially nominated Zardari as its candidate.
- On 23 August, the PML(N) said it preferred an independent president. However, PML(N) head Sharif said he would support Zardari if they agreed to reduce the powers of the Presidency and reinstate the judges sacked after the 2007 Pakistani state of emergency2007 Pakistani state of emergencyA state of emergency was declared by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007, and lasted until December 15, 2007,during which time the constitution of Pakistan was suspended....
- On 24 August the Awami National PartyAwami National PartyThe Awami National Party is an Pashtun nationalist, socialist, centre-left political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International...
said it would support Zardari. - On 25 August:
- The PML-N pulled out of the coalition government and said it would support Saeeduzzaman SiddiquiSaeeduzzaman SiddiquiChief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui or Saeed-uz-zaman Siddiqui in Lukhnow, British India; is a Pakistani Jurist and legislator who formerly served as the Chief Justice of Pakistan at the Supreme Court of Pakistan...
for the presidency. - Imran KhanImran KhanImran Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician and former Pakistani cricketer, playing international cricket for two decades in the late twentieth century. After retiring, he entered politics...
, the former cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er and leader of the Tehreek-e-InsafPakistan Tehreek-e-InsafThe Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is "Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem".-Founding:...
party said Zardari should not become president as he was "such a corrupt man". - The Jamiat Ulema-e-IslamJamiat Ulema-e-IslamThe Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is a political party in Pakistan. It formed a combined government in national elections in 2002 and 2008...
-Fazl party said it would support Zardari if the government agreed to end the military operation in Bajaur. - The Pakistan Muslim League (F)Pakistan Muslim League (F)The Pakistan Muslim League is a political party in Pakistan. It is one of the factions of the original Pakistan Muslim League. The letter 'F' in its name stands for functional. It is primarily associated with the Sindhi religious leader Pir Pagara...
said it would neither support nor oppose Zardari. - The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance said it supported Zardari.
- The PML-N pulled out of the coalition government and said it would support Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui
- On 26 August the PML(Q) nominated Senator Mushahid HussainMushahid HussainMushahid Hussain Sayed , is a Pakistani Political journalist and conservative politician who is the current Secretary General of the center-right and moderate conservative Pakistan Muslim League .-Education:...
as its candidate. - On 28 August the Election Commission of PakistanElection Commission of PakistanThe Election Commission of Pakistan is an independent and autonomous constitutional body charged with the function of conducting transparent, free, fair and impartial elections to the National and Provincial Assemblies. The holding of elections to the office of the President and the Senate are,...
announced that five people had been validly nominated as candidates:- Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
, PPP - Saeeduzzaman SiddiquiSaeeduzzaman SiddiquiChief Justice Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui or Saeed-uz-zaman Siddiqui in Lukhnow, British India; is a Pakistani Jurist and legislator who formerly served as the Chief Justice of Pakistan at the Supreme Court of Pakistan...
, supported by the PML-N - Mushahid HussainMushahid HussainMushahid Hussain Sayed , is a Pakistani Political journalist and conservative politician who is the current Secretary General of the center-right and moderate conservative Pakistan Muslim League .-Education:...
, PML-Q - Faryal TalpurFaryal Talpur-Political career:Talpur participated in the Pakistani presidential election, 2007 from the platform of Pakistan Peoples Party and is a Member of Pakistan's National Assembly...
, covering candidate for Zardari - Roedad KhanRoedad KhanRoedad Khan was Pakistani statesman from the start to the end of the Cold war. During his long career, Khan was one of the most senior civil servants of Pakistan. In 1923, Khan was born in Mardan, North-West Frontier Province, British Indian Empire, to a ethnic working class Pashtun family that...
, covering candidate for Siddiqui
- Asif Ali Zardari
- On 30 August, Talpur and Roedad withdrew their candidacies.
- On 31 August the Pakistan Peoples Party (Sherpao) declared its support for Zardari.
Result
Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
was elected President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
, as Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq announced that "Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in the parliament," In Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Zardari had 62 of the 65 electoral votes while his 2 main opponents, got zero vote; in North West Frontier Province Zardari got 56 votes against 5 by Siddiqui and one by Hussain; in Baluchistan, 59 votes while Siddiqui and Hussain got 2 each. BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
reported that Zardari "won 459 votes, far more than the 352 votes that would have guaranteed him victory." New York Times said that Zardari would be sworn in "as soon as Saturday night or as late as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats and officials said."
The new president, who obtains the largest number of votes, will serve for 5 years as Pakistan's 11th since 1956, when the country became a republic, excluding acting presidents. Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate members finished casting their votes, amid the death of 12 people, after a suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
car bomber blasted a security checkpoint on the outskirts of Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
.
Violaion of rules in NWFP
A number of MPAs of NWFP assembly including the Chief Minister violated the secret ballot by displaying the stamped ballot papers in the presidential elections. So these votes have to be subtracted from the vote count.Reaction
Pakistan Peoples PartyPakistan Peoples Party
The Pakistan Peoples Party , is a democratic socialist political party in Pakistan affiliated with Socialist International. Pakistan People's Party is the largest political party of Pakistan...
activists in Pakistan held rallies and distributed sweets when the results were announced. The main opposition party, PML-N, said it was the "success of the democratic process in the country" but said he should resign as PPP co-chairman, as the President has traditionally been apolitical, and to transfer Presidential powers back to parliament. The newspaper 'Dawn'
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
described Zardari as the most controversial President of Pakistan at the time of his election, and urged him to "dispel the impression of a political wheeler-dealer and rise to the requirements of statesmanship". The The Regional Times of Sindh
The Regional Times of Sindh
The Regional Times of Sindh is a daily newspaper published simultaneously from Hyderabad and Karachi. It is the only regional English daily of Sindh, Pakistan...
said Zardari had one of the stiffist jobs in the world as leader of the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic country, a frontline war on terror
War on Terror
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
state and facing "growing militancy" and "crippling economic woes". However, they said his "years of suffering have made him wiser and headstrong" and he has "displayed great acumen and maturity since returning to the political scene". Privately, the Pakistan military, bureaucracy and business elite were said to be "aghast" at the result given past corruption allegations.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Secretary of State welcomed Zardari's victory, praising his "emphasis on fighting terrorism" and "very strong words of friendship and alliance with the United States".