The announcement of presidential election was made by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) former Justice Fakhruddin G Ebrahim later Tuesday. According to the CEC, a total of 887 parliamentarians exercised their right of vote in presidential election - 9 votes were declared invalid while 878 valid.
An official of ECP said a copy of the result of presidential election was dispatched to Cabinet Division for formal notification of next president of Pakistan. The main opposition party Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), Balochistan National Party (BNP-Awami) and Awami Muslim League (AML) boycotted presidential election.
There was one-on-one contest between Pakistan Muslim League (N) candidate Mamnoon Hussain and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) nominee former Justice Wajhihuddin Ahmad. The electoral college of the Presidential election consists of Senate‚ National Assembly and the four provincial assemblies. The polling was held nearly a month prior to the end of President Asif Ali Zardari's constitutional term which expires on September 8.
Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Anwar Khan Kasi conducted the polling process here at the Parliament House. The polling continued without any break in the National Assembly hall where members of the Parliament cast their votes at three polling booths.
At mid-day the Chief Election Commissioner, who was the returning officer for the presidential election, also visited the National Assembly building and witnessed polling process. He stayed in the Speaker's gallery for sometime. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cast his vote at the end. PTI Chairman Imran Khan also cast his vote. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Mamnoon Hussain both remained in the House till the announcement of the result. Pleasantries were exchanged and congratulations extended by the party members and members of the Parliament to the two leaders.
Presiding Officer Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Anwar Kasi said a total of 314 votes were cast out of which 311 were declared valid and three invalid. He said Mamnoon Hussain secured 277 while Wajihuddin got 34. A total of 69 electoral votes were cast in the Sindh Assembly; out of which 64 were polled to Mamnoon Hussain and five to Wajihuddin. Mamnoon secured 55 votes out of 56 cast in Balochistan Assembly, while Wajihuddin could get only one vote. A total of 110 votes were cast in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, where Wajihuddin took the lead by bagging 69 votes against Mamnoon Hussain's 41 votes. Out of total 339 electoral votes validly cast at the Punjab Assembly, Mamnoon Hussain received 313 while Wajihuddin received 24 votes.
Mamnoon was originally a businessman, but he started his politics as a Muslim Leaguer in 1969. At that time, he was made joint secretary of the Karachi chapter of the PML-N when former minister of state for foreign affairs Zain Noorani was its president. He has done MBA from the prestigious Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi as well as Darse Nizami course. Mamnoon Hussain originally hails from Agra (India).
Mamnoon Hussain's group has a lot of say in the politics of the Karachi chamber and Karachi Gymkhana where he has been contesting elections - winning and losing. Once he was also remained president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He has a good say in a set of Karachi-based businessmen. Mamnoon has his textile business in Allahwali Market Karachi.
Before Mamnoon Hussain was appointed governor of Sindh by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in 1999 to serve in this position for less than six months, he worked as advisor to the provincial chief minister (Liaquat Ali Jatoi) any insignificant portfolio. After the imposition of military rule in October 1999, Mamnoon firmly stood by Nawaz Sharif when multitudes of PML-N leaders simply abandoned their party and party leadership.
AFP adds: Hussain secured 432 votes and his only rival Wajihuddin Ahmed 77, Fakhruddin Ebrahim, head of the election commission, announced live on television. "As a result Mamnoon Hussain is declared... President of Pakistan," he added. The election completes an historic transition of power in Pakistan.
Sharif in May won a commanding victory in a general election, which marked the first time a Pakistani civilian government had completed a full term in office and handed over to another at the ballot box. Constitutional amendments passed by Zardari's government mean that the presidency is again a ceremonial post, a status likely to be cemented by the fact that Hussain has little personal clout.
Hussain, who comes from the financial capital Karachi, gives Sindh at least a token stake in the central government otherwise dominated by Sharif's Punjab powerbase. His background in textiles and as an ex-president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry also reflects the government's number one task of reviving the stagnant economy.
Other analysts stress that his status as a long-serving but low-profile member of Sharif's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) party makes him totally dependent on the prime minister. In a sharp reminder of the country's instability, the election took place hours after dozens of Taliban militants stormed a prison in the north-west, escaping with more than 240 inmates.
Hussain will formally preside over a government that must solve a debilitating power crisis, and preserve a US alliance complicated by drone attacks and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The softly spoken 73-year-old with a quiet smile had been certain to win. Zardari's opposition Pakistan People's Party lost heavily in the May election and boycotted Tuesday's ballot, complaining that the vote was brought forward from August 6.
The only other candidate, retired judge Ahmed, was nominated by the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, the third largest party in parliament and led by cricket hero Imran Khan. Hussain's low profile is expected to provide a stark contrast to Zardari, considered a sharp political operator behind the scenes. Born in India before partition of the subcontinent he and his family migrated to Karachi, along with hundreds of thousands of other Muslims from across the border.
On the eve of the election, Hussain told PML-N supporters in the capital Islamabad that the presidency was a symbol of the federation of Pakistan, and vowed to serve the country and its people. "He had no political affiliation until 1999 but his polite discourse and professional ability impressed Nawaz Sharif, who made him governor of Sindh," said Azhar Haroon, current president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.