Pakistani lawmakers vote to return Benazir Bhutto's widower after an election marred by allegations of rigging.
Pakistan People's Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari won a second term as Pakistan's president, with the support of the ruling coalition in a vote in parliament and regional assemblies.
Zardari got 411 votes, while his opponent Mehmood Khan Achakzai, backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party, received 181 votes, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced on Saturday after counting the votes of national, provincial and senators.
Zardari, widower of Pakistan's first assassinated female leader, Benazir Bhutto, was elected to the largely ceremonial post by the PPP, which formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) party after the February 8 election. in Pakistan, which were marred by accusations of manipulation. .
Zardari is expected to be sworn in at a ceremony on Sunday.
Under the terms of the coalition pact, which also includes several smaller parties, PMLN's Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as prime minister earlier this week on Monday.
Khan was jailed and banned from participating in elections, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was subject to arrests and censorship, and its members were forced to run as independents.
The PTI said a mobile internet blackout on election day and a delay in results were used to cover up nationwide fraud that prevented his victory. The election was also marred by accusations of vote rigging.
The PTI won more seats than any other party last month, but fell short of the majority needed to govern, paving the way for the alliance between the PMLN and the PPP.
PTI president Advocate Gohar Ali Khan said Zardari's election was “unconstitutional”.
The party is now fighting over the allocation of reserved seats for women and minorities in the assembly.
Zardari, 68, previously took office in 2008 after a vote of solidarity following the gun and bomb killing of Benazir Bhutto while she was campaigning for re-election.
While president, a position he held until 2013, he reversed the powers of the presidency.
Pakistan's presidency was once powerful but was reduced to a figurehead in 2010 after Zardari made a constitutional amendment.
During his tenure, he faced challenges ranging from threats from the Taliban to strained relations with the military after the US special forces operation in Pakistan to kill al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in 2011.
Zardari has faced corruption allegations and spent more than 11 years in prison, but has recovered from his various scandals.
In 2009, the New York Times said he had a knack for “artful dodging”: “maneuvering his way out of whatever jams he gets into.”
