Two days before half of the senators retire at the end of their six-year terms, on March 9, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is preparing to hold the country’s presidential election, according to a report from Pakistan-based Dawn. According to a Dawn report, a senior office-bearer for the Pakistan Peoples Party stated, “The president will be elected by the present senators after setting up all four provincial assemblies.” The election may take place on March 9 or 10. As for the six-party alliance, it has already designated PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari as its consensus choice for Pakistan’s highest constitutional office. The alliance is expected to form a coalition government at the Center under PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif.
Article 41(4) of the Pakistani Constitution states that “the election for the presidency shall take place not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days prior to the end of the president’s term in office; provided, however, that in the event that the National Assembly dissolves and the election cannot be held within the aforementioned period, it shall be held within thirty days of the Assembly’s general election.” Two days before half of the 100-member Senate retires, on March 9, Pakistan must hold its presidential election, as the country’s general elections were held on February 8. This was reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, which cited sources, the Pakistani Senate elections were also scheduled for the first week of March.
The PPP chief claims that the party has prevented its two senators, Nisar Khuhro and Jam Mahtab Dahar, from taking the oath of office as Members of Provincial Assembly in the Sindh Assembly because of the impending presidential election and to guarantee Zardari’s victory. A senator’s vote counts as one under the formula used for Pakistan’s presidential election, whereas in the Sindh Assembly, one vote is equivalent to almost four votes. Zardari stands to gain from this formula in the upcoming presidential contest. Notably, after finishing his five-year term on September 9, 2023, Pakistan’s current president, Arif Alvi, has already been in office for a longer period of time.
