Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has congratulated Asif Ali Zardari on his election as the new president of Pakistan.
In a message on Sunday, Raeisi expressed hope that the two countries will further develop mutual relations during Zardari’s presidency given mutual historical, cultural and religious bonds.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, as always and especially in the new tenure, announces its readiness to develop relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said.
Zardari, the widower of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, on Sunday was sworn in after winning a second non-consecutive term.
He previously served as president from 2008 until 2013.
The Pakistani president is elected by votes in the lower and upper house of the parliament and four provincial legislative assemblies. Zardari got 411 votes, easily defeating the 181 votes cast for nationalist leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, according to a statement from the parliament.
Pakistan’s newly formed National Assembly, as the lower house of parliament is called, on March 3 elected Shehbaz Sharif as prime minister for the second time by 201 votes, presiding over a shaky alliance that has shut out followers of jailed opposition leader and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Pakistan held elections on February 8 amidst controversy, with a mobile internet shutdown, arrests, and violence during the lead-up to the polls. The delayed results sparked accusations of vote rigging and electoral fraud by the interim government.
Throughout the 77-year history of Pakistan, no prime minister has managed to serve a full five-year term, due to the significant political influence wielded by the country’s powerful military.
