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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated President-elect Asif Ali Zardari on his success in Pakistan's 14th presidential election, stating that elected members of all provincial and national legislative bodies had expressed confidence in the ruling coalition's candidate during the poll, as reported by Geo News.
He expressed optimism that Zardari would fulfil his presidential duties adeptly and effectively represent the authority of the Centre. "Zardari's election as president is the continuity of democratic values," PM Shehbaz said, pledging to work for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. Addtionally, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah extended his congratulations to Asif Ali Zardari on his re-election as the President of Pakistan for a second term, as per Geo News. In a statement, CM Shah said that Zardari's success with an overwhelming majority was the "victory of democracy." The newly-elected president would put the country on the path of prosperity by combining all state units, he added. According to Geo News, the voting in the presidential election in Pakistan concluded in the National Assembly and all provincial assemblies at 4 pm. The counting process is now in progress. In the Balochistan Assembly, the coalition government's nominee, Asif Ali Zardari, secured a clean sweep, with all 47 members casting their votes in his favour. None voted for PTI-backed Mahmood Khan Achakzai, while 15 members were absent from the assembly, Dawn reported citing unofficial results. Several parties, like Maulana Fazlur Rehman's Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and Jamaat-e-Islami boycotted the election of Pakistan's 14th president. Two prominent candidates, Asif Ali Zardari, the joint nominee of PPP and PML-N, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai from the Sunni Ittehad Council, are the contenders for the presidential office. The current ruling coalition, comprising PML-N, PPP, and MQM-P, has thrown its support behind Asif Ali Zardari. The president is chosen by an electoral college consisting of members from the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four provincial assemblies. A joint session of the parliament is being conducted at the parliament house in Islamabad, where members from both the National Assembly and the Senate will cast their votes, according to ARY News. (ANI)
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