Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, was elected today, Saturday, as President of Pakistan for the second time. He received the support of 411 votes, compared to 181 votes won by the opposition candidate Mahmoud Khan Achakzai.
The role of president is largely ceremonial in Pakistan, and Zardar will also be commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces. He is expected to take the constitutional oath in a ceremony held tomorrow, Sunday.