Mamnoon Hussain, the India-born Pakistani businessman was on 30 July 2013 elected as the 12th President of Pakistan. 73-year old Mamnoon Hussain, who belonged to the PML-N Party, will join the office on 9 September 2013.
Mamnoon Hussain succeeded Asif Ali Zardari, who did not go for re-election. The presidential office of Pakistan will be vacated on 9 September 2013 by the incumbent Asif Ali Zardari, as his term of 5 years ended. Mamnoon Hussain became a clear winner, in comparison to ex-judge Wajihuddin Ahmed of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Raza Rabbani of Pakistan People’s Party was withdrawn by the Party.
Life Sketch of Mamnoon Hussain
• Mamnoon Hussain was born on 2 March 1940 in Agra, India.
• He is the textile businessman as well as politician of Pakistan.
• In the year 1999, he briefly served as the Governor of Sindh.
• He migrated to Pakistan from India in 1954.
• He earned the degree from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi in 1960s.
• Mamnoon Hussain had, at some point of time, also remained the president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Background
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on 23 July 2013 ordered the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the Presidential election on 30 July 2013. The decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan was issued following the petition filed by, Raja Zafarul Haq, the PML(N) leader, who pleaded the court that a large number of Parliamentarians, who will cast vote in the election would precede for Umrah and observe Aitakaf, during the last ten days of Ramazan. Earlier, the Presidential election of Pakistan was scheduled to be held on 6 August 2013.
The Election Process of President of Pakistan
The polling for the Presidential elections in Pakistan started amidst tight security on 30 July 2013. More than 1000 members of Majlis-e-Shoora (the Parliament of Pakistan), as well as four provincial assemblies cast their votes in the Presidential elections.
The unofficial results declared that Mamnoon Hussain had secured 277 votes in all, from Senate and National Assembly.
Mamnoon Hussain required a total of 263 votes for winning. His competitior, Wajihuddin Ahmed, on the other hand got merely 34 votes, while 3 votes were rejected by the polling staff.
• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly: 110 voted in all for the presidential poll. 69 MLAs voted in favour of Wajihuddin Ahmed and 41 voted for Mamnoon Hussain.
• Sindh Assembly: 69 in all, voted for the presidential poll. 64 votes went in favour of Mamnoon Hussain, while 5 votes were polled for Wajihuddin Ahmed.
• Balochistan Assembly: 56 voted in all. 55 voted in favour of Mamnoon Hussain and 1 was given to Wajihuddin Ahmed.
• Punjab Assembly: 337 voted in all. Mamnoon Hussain secured 313 votes, while Wajihuddin Ahmed won 24 votes.
Overall, Mamnoon Hussain secured 432 votes, while Wajihuddin Ahmed secured just 77 votes.
According to the Part III: Chapter 1: The President- [Article 41] of the Constitution of Pakistan, The President shall be elected in accordance with the provisions of the Second Schedule by the members of an electoral college consisting of:
(a) The members of both Houses; and
(b) The members of the Provincial Assemblies.
Election to the office of President shall be held not earlier than sixty days and not later than thirty days before the expiration of the term of the President in office:
Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.
(5) An election to fill a vacancy in the office of President shall be held not later than thirty days from the occurrence of the vacancy:
Provided that, if the election cannot be held within the period aforesaid because the National Assembly is dissolved, it shall be held within thirty days of the general election to the Assembly.
(6) The validity of the election of the President shall not be called in question by or before any court or other authority.
Some Important Facts
• Mamnoon Hussain is an India-born resident of Pakistan and was elected as the 12th President of Pakistan.
• He was born in historic Agra city and belongs to Urdu-speaking ethnic group which migrated to Pakistan during partition in 1947.
• In Pakistan, the office of President is ceremonial. However, the President is still the Constitutional chief of the armed forces. He/she cannot order the deployments.
• The President of Pakistan appoints the services chiefs, but after recommendation from the Prime Minister.
• So far, Pakistan has had 11 Presidents. Out of these, five have been military generals. Four of these illegally received powers through the coups.
• The first President of Pakistan- Major Sikandar Mirza was elected in the year 1956 after adoption of the first constitution.
Constitution of Pakistan: Part III: Chapter 1: The President (Article 41-49)
• There shall be a President of Pakistan who shall be the Head of State and shall represent the unity of the Republic.
• A person shall not be qualified for election as President unless he is a Muslim of not less than forty-five years of age and is qualified to be elected as member of the National Assembly.
Article 42: Oath of President
• Before entering upon office, the President shall make before the Chief Justice of Pakistan oath in the form set out in the Third Schedule.
Article 44: Term of office of President
• Subject to the Constitution, the President shall hold office for a term of five years from the day he enters upon his office: Provided that the President shall, notwithstanding the expiration of his term, continue to hold office until his successor enters upon his office.
• Subject to the Constitution, a person holding office as President shall be eligible for re-election to that office, but no person shall hold that office for more than two consecutive terms.
• The President may, by writing under his hand addressed to the Speaker of the National Assembly, resign his office.
