President of Pakistan
Zardari was elected president of Pakistan, as Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq announced that "Asif Ali Zardari secured 281 votes out of the 426 valid votes polled in the parliament," In Sindh, Zardari had 62 of the 65 electoral votes while his two main opponents got zero votes; in North West Frontier Province Zardari got 56 votes against 5 by Siddiqui and one by Hussain; in Balochistan, 59 votes while Siddiqui and Hussain got 2 each. However, Zardari did not win the majority in the nation's biggest province, Punjab, where the PML-N's Siddiqui got a clear majority. [27] BBC reported that Zardari "won 481 votes, far more than the 352 votes that would have guaranteed him victory." [28] New York Times said that Zardari would be sworn in "as soon as Saturday night or as late as Monday or Tuesday, diplomats and officials said." [29]Zardari was challenged by Justice (Retired) Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge nominated by Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, who was nominated by the PML-Q, which backed Musharraf. According to the Constitution of 1973 presently in vogue (but declared for major amendments by Zardari) the President of Pakistan, who must be a Muslim and a male, is elected by an electoral college composed of members of the two houses of parliament - the 342 seat lower house National Assembly and the 100 member upper house Senate, as well as members of the four provincial assemblies - Sindh, Punjab, North West Frontier and Balochistan. The assemblies have total of 1170 seats, but the number of electoral college votes is 702 since provincial assembly votes are counted on a proportional basis. The new president, who obtains the largest number of votes, will serve for five years as Pakistan's 11th president since 1956, when the country became an Islamic Republic, excluding acting presidents and CMLAs during times of military rule. [30][31] Voting was in progress at the Parliament House, while the Senate members finished casting their votes. [32]Zardari was sworn in by Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar in a ceremony at the presidential palace on September 9, 2008. [33] He addressed the parliament for the first time on September 20, 2008, but the event was overshadowed by the suicide bomb blast which destroyed the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad. Zardari picked China for first state visit after being elected in September. He went to the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly. Controversies
Money laundering
An associate of Bhutto said: "Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image. [34]Zardari was accused of money-laundering activities in a US Senate report on private banking and money-laundering. [35]Zardari was under criminal investigation in Switzerland over receipts of kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country's prime minister in the 1990s, a Swiss judge and two Swiss lawyers close to the case told NEWSWEEK. Judge Daniel Devaud continued investigations despite pressure from US officials. [36]In Britain, the decade-old civil proceedings focus on Zardari. Zardari is accused of using illicit funds to acquire the 365-acre Rockwood estate, a $6.5-million property featuring a Tudor-style mansion and two adjoining farms in the Surrey district. The estate was bought and refurbished in 1995 through trusts in the Isle of Man and Liechtenstein and the Caribbean firms linked to Bhutto, Zardari and the alleged kickbacks, according to the lawsuit. Zardari steadfastly denied ownership until January 2006, when he acknowledged he owned the property, according to British court records. The judge did rule that there is a “reasonable prospect of proving that funds used to refurbish the estate were “the fruits of corruption, according to the documents. [37]NRO beneficiary
Zardari is a beneficiary of the NRO ( National Reconciliation Ordinance) [38] issued by the former president of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf. Chief beneficiaries of this ordinance include Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik and MQM workers and leaders. Oath controversy
Although Asif Ali Zardari was elected constitutionally, he was administered the oath of office by Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar who took oath as Chief Justice of Pakistan under the Provisional Constitutional Order. [39] Earlier, a supreme court ruling by a 7-member bench of the SC had overturned the PCO. The ruling by the 7-member bench stated: [40]"Appointment of the chief justice or judges of the Supreme Court or chief justices of the high courts under the new PCO would be unlawful and without jurisdiction."
Hence, Dogar's oath under PCO was in violation of the Supreme Court ruling quoted above. In the opinion of some the top constitutional experts in Pakistan, Zardari's oath administered by the de facto Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar is not legitimate. [41]Meeting with Governor Sarah Palin
While in US, Mr. Asif Zardari met Governor Sarah Palin, the U.S. Republican Party's Vice Presidential candidate. He told her that she is "gorgeous" and said: "Now I know why the whole of America is crazy about you." When the photographers asked the two to keep shaking hands, he replied: "If he insists, I might hug you." These remarks sparked controversy in Pakistan, where members of the public accused the president of flirting with Governor Palin when Pakistan is passing through difficult times. [42]2008 Interview with Wall Street Journal
In an interview published on October 4, 2008 in The Wall Street Journal Zardari referred to Kashmir Militants as "terrorists" while asking for $ 100 billion in aid for his country. [43] This statement was widely criticised in Pakistan. [44]Comments on Pakistani media
|