Zardari’s win is a forgone conclusion

ECP issues schedule for presidential election

ISLAMABAD:

Former president Asif Ali Zardari is all set to be re-elected as the 14th president of the country as the result of the elections for the new head of the state is a forgone conclusion.

The required support and numbers are there and it is going to be just a formality to elect Zardari, known as the ‘king of reconciliation’ and the one who knows that art of making impossible possible, as the president for the second time in a few days.

With the announcement that the newly stitched alliance of the PML-N, the PPP, and others was ready to form a coalition government at the Centre under the stewardship of PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif, it was announced that Asif Ali Zardari would be the joint candidate for the country’s top constitutional office.

The shrewd politician, who is the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and the president of the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), had occupied the presidency before – from Sept 9, 2008 to Sept 8, 2013. It may be recalled that Benazir was assassinated in Dec 2007.

After that, Zardari along with his son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is the chairman of the PPP and served as the foreign minister during last government, have taken the reigns of the party. Throughout his political career, the former president has faced a raft of cases and remained in jail on various charges over the years.

Nicknamed as ‘Mr 10 Percent’, Zardari had spent 11 years in jail on corruption charges, among other things, before becoming the president in 2008. Though the allegations of corruption have always followed him, he along with his party members has always maintained his innocence as nothing has been proven against him and he has never been convicted by courts.

Despite his tumultuous political career, Zardari had made history by surrendering the powers of the president during his last stint.

It was he who, being the president, had reduced the president to a ceremonial figurehead by stripping the president’s office of the power to dissolve parliament, to dismiss elected prime ministers, and to appoint military chiefs, among other things, when the government had passed the 18th Amendment in April 2010.

Also, he had surrendered the power to appoint the chief election commissioner by substituting it with a mechanism that involved the opposition in the process.

All of these moves were not only unprecedented but showed Zardari’s vision and maturity as a politician.

With his permanent gleeful smile, his decision to involve political opponents in making the constitutional appointments showed the kind of tolerance level he wishes to see in the country, which is otherwise engulfed by polarisation.

How president is elected?

On Tuesday, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) unveiled the timetable for the upcoming presidential election.

Under Article 41(4) of the Constitution, the presidential election must be conducted within 30 days of the general elections.

Since the general elections were held on Feb 8, the presidential elections are due on March 9.
The ECP said that it will release the official schedule and public notice for the election of the president on March 1.

In accordance with constitutional provisions, a specific day will be designated for the submission of nomination papers, and candidates have the option to submit these papers to any presiding officer.

The ECP stated that the formation of the Electoral College, a crucial component for the presidential election, is set to be completed on Feb 29, when the members of the national and others assemblies would take oath and become eligible to vote for the president’s election.

The president is elected indirectly by parliament for a five-year term and acts as a ceremonial figurehead. Though the president has no direct authority in running the government, he can directly grant pardons and reprieves; appoint higher commands in military with support from the prime minister and confirm judicial appointments, among other things.

Under Article 41(3) of the Constitution, the president is elected in a special session of parliament, Senate and all four provincial assemblies. The Electoral College of 692 votes of lawmakers includes 96 senators and 336 members of the National Assembly and 260 votes of the four provincial assemblies.

Currently, the total number of lawmakers is 1,181, which includes 96 senators, 336 MNAs and 749 legislators of the provincial assemblies.

In order to ensure equal representation, all provincial assemblies are given 65 votes each in the Electoral College as it is the smallest number of the members in Balochistan Assembly.

The MNAs and senators’ vote is counted as one vote for each member. With 371 parliamentarians, Punjab’s 5.7 members equal one vote; Sindh’s 2.58 members make one vote; and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s 2.2 members vote is counted as one.

Being the joint candidate of the upcoming ruling parties and having majority seats in Sindh and Balochistan assemblies, Zardari – who has earned the reputation of the one who can turn the tables anytime – is set to enter the Presidency with an overwhelmingly majority.

He would replace incumbent President Dr Arif Alvi, who is the third one to complete five-year tenure. In fact, he is only one who has spent over five months after the expiration of his term as the Constitution states that the President shall continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office.