Understanding the presidential election process

As the nation gears up to elect its next president, senators, MNAs, and MPs from all four provinces are set to cast their votes in an electoral process where elected representatives become the voters.

Different from the general elections, where the public directly votes for the president or prime minister, the country’s parliamentary system relies on elected representatives.

The electoral college for the presidential election comprises members of parliament and provincial assemblies.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), responsible for overseeing the voting process, has designated the National Assembly Hall as the polling station.

The chief justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) will serve as the presiding officer, overseeing the election in the parliament within the National Assembly. Similarly, the chief justices of the Sindh, Balochistan, and Punjab high courts will preside over the polling processes in their respective assemblies.

However, in Punjab, due to the retirement of the chief justice of the Lahore High Court (LHC), a member of the ECP has been appointed as the presiding officer.

Voting and counting will take place in the four provinces, with Form 5 prepared in the presence of polling agents for the presidential candidates.

Form 5, akin to Form 45 in general elections, will be signed by the polling agents and presiding officers. Subsequently, the presiding officers will dispatch Form 5 and votes to the returning officer, who, in this election, is the chief election commissioner, with final decisions resting on their shoulders.

Following the March 9 polling, the returning officer, i.e., the chief election commissioner, will issue Form 7 after consolidation with the presidential candidates, declaring it as the final and official result.

The counting of votes in the presidential election follows a unique formula distinct from general elections. While each citizen's vote is considered as one vote in general elections, the presidential election uses a separate formula to ensure the equal representation of all units.