:2013 Pakistani presidential election

Following the 2013 general elections, it was expected that the new president would be chosen by the party that won a plurality and thus headed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League (N).{{cite web|last=Hussain |first=Tom |url=http://www.adn.com/2013/05/23/2913310/asif-ali-zardari-likely-will-lose.html |title=ISLAMABAD: Asif Ali Zardari likely will lose Pakistan's presidency – and immunity from prosecution |publisher=ADN.com |date=23 May 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013}}{{cite web|author=AFP |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/556994/bleak-future-for-president-zardari-in-new-parliament/ |title=Bleak future for President Zardari in new parliament |work=The Express Tribune |access-date=30 July 2013}} It is the first time in the country that a president elect has been chosen in the presence of a sitting president.

The Election Commission of Pakistan announced the initial election schedule on 17 July 2013. All nomination papers for candidates had to be submitted by 24 July, with scrutiny occurring on 26 July. Candidates then had an additional 3 days to withdraw their nomination, after which the official candidate list was announced. The elections were originally to take place via secret ballot on 6 August, and official results confirmed the next day. The elections would be presided by the Chief Justices of the Islamabad High Court and the 4 provincial High Courts.{{cite web |url=http://elections.com.pk/newsdetails.php?id=1130 |title=Election for Zardari's successor on August 6 |publisher=Elections.com.pk |access-date=1 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130806061201/http://elections.com.pk/newsdetails.php?id=1130 |archive-date=6 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 24 July, revised the date for the presidential election on the appeal of the ruling party, PML (N), asking the election commission to hold it on 30 July instead of 6 August. The court made the order as many of the lawmakers who will elect a replacement for President Asif Ali Zardari will be paying pilgrimages or offering special prayers on 6 August for the holy month of Ramadan, which ends a few days later, thus making it potentially difficult for some lawmakers to oblige with their religious duties along with the election. The petition was filed by the leader of the house in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq on the same day.{{cite web |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/24-Jul-2013/sc-orders-presidential-election-on-july-30 |title=SC orders presidential election on July 30 |work=The Nation |location=Pakistan |access-date=1 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731092942/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/national/24-Jul-2013/sc-orders-presidential-election-on-july-30 |archive-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|author=Nasir Iqbal |url=http://dawn.com/news/1031652/sc-orders-presidential-poll-on-july-30 |title=SC orders presidential poll on July 30 |work=Dawn|location=Pakistan |date=25 July 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013}}

The court ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to change the election schedule on the appeal of the Federal government: nomination papers were filed on 24 July, their scrutiny was held on 26 July, the withdrawal of candidature up to 12 noon on 27 July and the final list of candidates was published at 5pm on 27 July. The polling was held on 30 July.

The PMLN nominated former Sindh Governor Mamnoon Hussain as its candidate; while the PPP nominated Senator Raza Rabbani (later boycotting); and PTI named Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed.{{cite web |author=Ahmad Naveed Zafar |url=http://pakistantribune.com.pk/3197/mamnoon-hussain-officially-named-as-presidential-candidate-by-pml-n.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130724092428/http://pakistantribune.com.pk/3197/mamnoon-hussain-officially-named-as-presidential-candidate-by-pml-n.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 July 2013 |title=Mamnoon Hussain officially named as presidential candidate by PML-N |publisher=Pakistan Tribune |date=23 July 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013 }}

Hussain was an Agra-born business man. He belonged to Sindh and owned a textile business in Karachi. He was born in Uttar Pradesh, India, in 1940. He started his political career in the 60s as a Muslim Leaguer. He was considered loyal to the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.{{cite web|author=Web Desk |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/583886/polling-to-elect-12th-president-begins/ |title=Mamnoon Hussain elected as Pakistan's 12th president |work=The Express Tribune |date=27 July 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013}}

In 1999, he was elected as the president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) and was soon selected by Nawaz Sharif to become governor of Sindh in June 1999, but lost the post after the then Army Chief Gen Pervez Musharraf overthrew the PMLN government in a 1999 Pakistani coup d'état in October 1999.{{cite web|url=http://dawn.com/news/1032958/mamnoon-hussain-elected-12th-president-of-pakistan |title=Mamnoon Hussain elected 12th President of Pakistan |work=Dawn|location=Pakistan |access-date=1 August 2013}}

Ahmed is a retired senior justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan of Pakistan, Human rights in Pakistan activist, Jurist Doctor{{cite book | last =Supreme Court of Pakistan | title =The All Pakistan Legal Decisions | publisher =The Supreme Court of Pakistan Press Publications | volume =46 | edition =4 | year =1994 | location =Islamabad, Pakistan | page =1090 | id =vUg-AQAAIAAJ }} and former professor of law at the Sindh Muslim Law College.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-110208-PTI-announces-presidential-candidate |title=PTI announces presidential candidate |work=The News International |access-date=1 August 2013}}{{cite web|author=Imaduddin |url=http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/1-front-top-news/128335-pti-names-rtd-justice-wajiuddin-ahmed-its-presidential-candidate.html |title=PTI names Rtd Justice Wajiuddin Ahmed its presidential candidate |work=Business Recorder |date=20 July 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013}}

Prior to be elevated as List of Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, he briefly tenured as the Chief Justice of the Sindh High Court from 1998 until refusing take Legal Framework Order, 2002 in opposition to 1999 Pakistani coup d'état in 1999. He remained a strong critic of President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf, eventually taking up a leading role in Lawyer's movement in 2007 to oppose President Musharraf. Ultimately, he unsuccessfully ran for the presidential elections held in 2007. Since 2011, he has been active in Politics of Pakistanthrough PTI and became a forerunner on PTI platform for the presidential election.

On 26 July, the PPP announced its decision to boycott the election. The ANP and the BNP(A) also announced a boycott. They cited as their reason the Supreme Court of Pakistan's decision to change the election date from 6 August without consulting all parties.{{cite web|work=Dawn|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1032047/ppp-announces-boycott-of-presidential-election |title=PPP announces boycott of presidential election |location=Pakistan |date=26 July 2013 |access-date=30 July 2013}}

The Electoral College of Pakistan is formed by a joint sitting of the six leading political bodies in Pakistan:

• the Senate of Pakistan,
• the National Assembly of Pakistan,
• the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab,
• the Provincial Assembly of Sindh,
• the Provincial Assembly of Balochistan and
• the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Paktunkhwa

So that each province has an equal vote, all provincial assemblies are given exactly 65 votes in the electoral college. This mean that the each member of the Punjab Assembly has 65/370 = 0.176 votes, each member of the Sindh Assembly has 65/168 = 0.387 votes, each member of the KPK Assembly has 65/124 = 0.524 votes and each member of the Balochistan Assembly has 65/65 = 1 vote.{{cite web |url=http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/schedules/schedule2.html |title=Second Schedule: Election of President |publisher=Pakistani.org |date=28 February 2012 |access-date=30 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130708080134/http://www.pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/schedules/schedule2.html |archive-date=8 July 2013 |url-status=dead }}

The political composition of these bodies is as follows:

The country went to the polls at 10:00, 30 July amidst tight security arrangements. Over 1,174 members of the electoral college cast their votes to elect the ceremonial head of the state.{{cite web |url=https://www.nation.com.pk/30-Jul-2013/mamnoon-hussain-elected-as-pakistans-12th-president |title=Mamnoon Hussain elected President of Pakistan: CEC |work=The Nation |location=Pakistan |date=24 July 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130801070501/http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/islamabad/30-Jul-2013/mamnoon-hussain-elected-as-pakistans-12th-president |archive-date=1 August 2013 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|agency=Press Trust of India|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/indiaborn-mamnoon-hussain-elected-pakistan-president/article4970118.ece |title=India-born Mamnoon Hussain elected Pakistan President |work=The Hindu |date=24 July 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013}}

Polling was held simultaneously in the Parliament and provincial assemblies. The legislative assemblies were pronounced polling stations at the outset of polling. Voting ended at 15:00 and after 5 hours the preliminary result was immediately released. Official confirmation of the winner came in the evening.{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/07/20137301167690635.html |title=Mamnoon Hussain elected as Pakistan president – Central & South Asia |publisher=Al Jazeera |access-date=1 August 2013}} Mamnoon Hussain was sworn in as the 12th president of Pakistan on 9 September, a day after the incumbent President Asif Ali Zardari completed his five-year term.{{cite web|url=http://www.euronews.com/2013/07/30/pakistani-lawmakers-elect-veteran-politician-as-president/ |title=Pakistani lawmakers elect veteran politician as president | euronews, world news |publisher=Euronews.com |access-date=1 August 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-07/30/c_132588105.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130803185155/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2013-07/30/c_132588105.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 August 2013 |title=Profile of Pakistan's president-elect Mamnoon Hussain – Xinhua | English.news.cn |agency=Xinhua News Agency |date=2 March 1940 |access-date=1 August 2013}}

{{election table|title=Summary of the 30 July 2013 Pakistani presidential election results}}

|-

!colspan="2" style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" |Candidate

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:left;vertical-align:top;" |Main supporting party

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Senate of Pakistan

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |National Assembly of Pakistan

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Provincial Assembly of the Punjab

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Provincial Assembly of Sindh

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Provincial Assembly of Balochistan

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

! style="background-color:#E9E9E9;text-align:center;" |Total

|-

| style="background-color:#228b22;" | || style="text-align:left;" | Mamnoon Hussain

| style="text-align:left;" | PMLN

| style="text-align:right;" colspan=2| 277

| style="text-align:right;" | 54.14

| style="text-align:right;" | 24.76

| style="text-align:right;" | 55

| style="text-align:right;" | 21.49

| style="text-align:right;" | 432

|-

| style="background-color:#e51616;" | || style="text-align:left;" | Wajihuddin Ahmed

| style="text-align:left;" | PTI

| style="text-align:right;" colspan=2| 34

| style="text-align:right;" | 4

| style="text-align:right;" | 1.9

| style="text-align:right;" | 1

| style="text-align:right;" | 36.17

| style="text-align:right;" | 77

|-

| colspan=10 style="text-align:left;" |Source: [http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-111663-Mamnoon-Hussain-elected-12th-President-of-Pakistan The News]

|}

Mamnoon Hussain was widely expected to be victorious. He got 277 votes from the Parliament, 54.14 from the Punjab Assembly, 24.76 from Sindh Assembly, 21.49 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and 55 from the Balochistan Assembly.{{cite web|url=http://www.thenews.com.pk/article-111663-Mamnoon-Hussain-elected-12th-President-of-Pakistan |title=Mamnoon Hussain elected 12th President of Pakistan |work=The News International |access-date=1 August 2013}}

On the other hand, Justice (retd) Wajihuddin Ahmed got 34 votes from Parliament, 4 from Punjab Assembly, 1.9 from Sindh Assembly, 36.17 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly and one vote from Balochistan Assembly.

The elections were boycotted by some parties, and some protests were held too. But overall, the elections completed safe and sound. They marked a historic and democratic transition of power. This was the first time in the history of Pakistan a democratically elected civilian president had completed his full five-year term and transitioned power to a new civilian president.

• Election Commission of Pakistan
• President of Pakistan
• Pakistan

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{Pakistani presidential elections}}

2013

Category:2013 elections in Pakistan

Pakistan