Lawmakers across the country in the Senate, National as well as the four provincial assemblies are set to cast their votes for the election of the 14th president of the country.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has finalized all preliminary arrangements for the process, which is set to commence at 10am and conclude at 4pm.

PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, the joint presidential candidate of the PML-N, PPP, and other allied parties in the coalition government, stands poised to potentially secure his second term as president if successful in this election. He faces competition from Pakhtunkhwa Mili Awami Party President Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who is the joint candidate representing the opposition.

The respective houses of parliament have been declared the polling stations where the election is set to be held through a secret ballot. The Parliament House in Islamabad would cater to senators and MNAs, while the four provincial assemblies would take on the role of polling stations for the respective provincial lawmakers.

Polling stations

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 118 members of the provincial assembly will exercise their voting rights. The Sunni Ittehad Council has 89 members, JUI-F nine, PML-N eight, PPP five, PTI-P two and ANP one. Four independent members are also part of the provincial House.

In the Punjab Assembly, election commission member Nisar Durrani has been appointed as the presiding officer for the presidential election, for which 400 ballot papers have been printed.

Moreover, the Sindh High Court chief justice has been appointed as the presiding officer during the polling process. There are 163 members in the provincial house of 168. Asif Ali Zardari is expected to get 45.66 votes from the PPP lawmakers in the electoral college of the Sindh Assembly.

The PPP has a huge majority of 116 members in the Sindh Assembly, followed by the MQM’s 36 members. Under the presidential election procedure, 2.54 members of the assembly are equal to one vote.

The MQM has also decided to vote for Zardari.

In the Balochistan Assembly also, the PPP, PML-N, National Party, BAP and BNP have all decided to vote for Asif Zardari. Moreover, the Jamaat-e-Islami and Haq Do Tehreek have also announced their support for Zardari.

However, the BNP-Awami has decided to boycott the presidential election, while the stance of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam is unclear.

Polling guidelines

Election commission sources have issued directions for the lawmakers to cast their votes in the presidential election.

According to the procedure, the lawmakers would be given white coloured ballot papers to poll their votes that mention the names of both candidates in Urdu. The voters would be asked to mark a cross before the name of the candidate they wish to vote for, while a vote would be considered wasted if someone tick-marks a candidate’s name.

Security measures

However, the atmosphere is tense, with strict security measures implemented across the Red Zone of Islamabad. Section 144 has been imposed citywide, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Over 600 police personnel have been deployed to ensure the smooth conduct of the electoral process, with strict regulations in place to restrict unauthorized access to the parliament premises. Only individuals possessing valid passes will be permitted entry into the designated areas.

The Punjab Police chief has said that Dolphin and Elite Force will patrol the provincial assembly and its surrounding areas.

On Friday, the election commission had upheld its decision to proceed with the scheduled polling, dismissing a request from opposition candidate Mahmood Achakzai to postpone the presidential election.

This decision underscores the commission’s commitment to upholding democratic norms and adhering to the established electoral timeline.

As the clock ticks closer to the commencement of voting, anticipation and speculation are rife regarding the outcome of this closely contested presidential election. All eyes are on the Assembly as the representatives of the people prepare to exercise their democratic right and shape the future leadership of the nation.