Pakistan presidential election voting begins

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Voting for Pakistan’s presidential election between two candidates, including former President Asif Ali Zardari, began Saturday.

Voting started at 10 a.m. local time at the National Assembly building in Islamabad and all provincial assembly buildings in provincial capitals and will continue until 4 p.m.

Lawmakers will elect a new president to a five-year term.

The ruling coalition has nominated Zardari while the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council, new home to lawmakers belonging to jailed ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has nominated Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a veteran politician from southwestern Balochistan province.

Zardari, 68, the widower of two-time Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, served as president from 2008 to 2013.

He was the first-ever democratically-elected president to complete his tenure in the 75-year history of the South Asian Muslim country.

Incumbent president Alvi gave a farewell guard of honor Friday as his tenure ended in September but he continued to serve because of the absence of elected parliamentarians.

Alvi was elected in September 2018 after Khan formed government in the center.