This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/31/world/asia/mamnoon-hussain-elected-as-pakistan-president.html
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Pakistani Lawmakers Choose Next President | Pakistani Lawmakers Choose Next President |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistan’s lawmakers on Tuesday elected Mamnoon Hussain, a little-known industrialist and loyalist of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, as their country’s 12th president, state television announced. | |
| Mr. Hussain’s victory followed a vote in the national and regional legislatures earlier in the day that had been devoid of tension because Mr. Hussain, a businessman from Karachi, had been widely expected to win. | Mr. Hussain’s victory followed a vote in the national and regional legislatures earlier in the day that had been devoid of tension because Mr. Hussain, a businessman from Karachi, had been widely expected to win. |
| Pakistan’s presidency is a largely ceremonial position. But the stark challenges facing the entire political leadership were underscored early Tuesday when Taliban fighters launched an audacious jailbreak in the northwestern town of Dera Ismail Khan that freed 250 prisoners, including at least 30 militants. | |
| As the voting got under way, strict security measures were in place for the National Assembly, Senate and four provincial assemblies, where, under Pakistan’s electoral laws, lawmakers choose the president. | |
| Mr. Hussain will replace President Asif Ali Zardari, a contentious figure who is expected to step down in September at the end of a tumultuous five-year term. Mr. Zardari spent much of his presidency engaged in rolling battles with the country’s judiciary and military leaders, all the while struggling to shake off longstanding corruption accusations. | Mr. Hussain will replace President Asif Ali Zardari, a contentious figure who is expected to step down in September at the end of a tumultuous five-year term. Mr. Zardari spent much of his presidency engaged in rolling battles with the country’s judiciary and military leaders, all the while struggling to shake off longstanding corruption accusations. |
| His Pakistan People's Party boycotted Tuesday’s election to protest a Supreme Court decision that approved a government decision to push the election forward to July 30, from Aug. 6. | |
| Mr. Sharif moved the vote forward to facilitate voting by lawmakers who wished to travel to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage toward the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. | |
| Mr. Zardari’s authority largely stemmed from his position as widower of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was assassinated in 2007. In recent years he defused some of the public antipathy toward his presidency by maintaining a low public profile. | Mr. Zardari’s authority largely stemmed from his position as widower of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was assassinated in 2007. In recent years he defused some of the public antipathy toward his presidency by maintaining a low public profile. |
| Mr. Zardari also changed the presidency, by instigating constitutional reforms that drained his office of power and, ultimately, should make it more difficult for the military to seize power. | Mr. Zardari also changed the presidency, by instigating constitutional reforms that drained his office of power and, ultimately, should make it more difficult for the military to seize power. |
| He confounded his many critics, who regularly predicated his political demise, through adroit maneuvering. And he survived intense pressure from the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, which aggressively pursued Mr. Zardari and his party through the courts. | He confounded his many critics, who regularly predicated his political demise, through adroit maneuvering. And he survived intense pressure from the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, which aggressively pursued Mr. Zardari and his party through the courts. |
| While Mr. Zardari owed some of his power to his family background, Mr. Hussain’s main qualification seems to be his low-key profile. He served briefly as governor of Sindh Province in 1999, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf toppled Mr. Sharif’s previous government in a bloodless coup. Mr. Hussain remained a steadfast ally of Mr. Sharif in those days, defying pressure and intimidation from the military. His forays into electoral politics were less successful. Mr. Hussain contested the 2002 general election but failed to win a seat by a wide margin. Since then he has had a low public profile and concentrates on his interests in the textile business. | |
| Political analysts say the presidency may be his reward for his unflinching loyalty to the Sharif family. | Political analysts say the presidency may be his reward for his unflinching loyalty to the Sharif family. |
| In choosing Mr. Hussain, Mr. Sharif may also have had ethnic considerations in mind. Mr. Hussain was born in the Indian city of Agra in 1940. His family migrated to Pakistan after its partition from India in 1947, where it established a textile business. | In choosing Mr. Hussain, Mr. Sharif may also have had ethnic considerations in mind. Mr. Hussain was born in the Indian city of Agra in 1940. His family migrated to Pakistan after its partition from India in 1947, where it established a textile business. |
| “I belong to Karachi,” Mr. Hussain has been quoted as saying in local news media outlets. “If elected, I’ll try to resolve Sindh’s issues and restore peace in Karachi. Development and progress will begin from Sindh.” | |
Salman Masood reported from Islamabad and Declan Walsh reported from London. | Salman Masood reported from Islamabad and Declan Walsh reported from London. |