Pakistan to hold presidential elections on September 4
What's the story
Pakistan will hold presidential elections on September 4 to elect President Mamnoon Hussain's successor at the end of his five-year tenure, the election commission announced today. Pakistan's President is elected indirectly by the members of Parliament and the four provincial assemblies. "Presidential election will be held on September 4," the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said as it issued the schedule of the election.
Details
Polling to be held in Parliament, provincial assemblies' buildings
The candidates can file nominations by August 27, and the final list of contesting candidates will be issued on August 30. The polling will be held in the buildings of the Federal Parliament and provincial assemblies. In Pakistan, the President is considered as a symbol of the federation and head of the state and exercises all powers on the recommendations of the Prime Minister.
Mamnoon Hussain
A little about the current President of Pakistan
Hussain, elected in September 2013, was a nominee of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by jailed former PM Nawaz Sharif. Hussain's parents migrated from Agra and settled in Karachi after partition. A tough competition is expected between nominees of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf led by PM-in-waiting Imran Khan and the joint opposition forged by the PML-N, the Pakistan Peoples Party, and the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal.