Mamnoon Hussain elected Pakistan’s New President

Pakistan’s ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s nominee Mamnoon Hussain was elected as the 12th President of the country succeeding President Asif Ali Zardari. He will assume the office on September 9, a day after Zardari completes his five-year term.

Mr. Hussain secured 432 votes, while his rival justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, the candidate of Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), got 77 votes in the presidential election kicked off on Tuesday. A total of 887 members of the parliament and four provincial assemblies – Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa – cast their votes in the poll out of which 878 votes were valid and nine votes were found invalid.

However, the main opposition party Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and its allies boycotted the poll as the Supreme Court had changed the election schedule from August 6 to July 30.