Pakistan's lawmakers have elected Asif Ali Zardari as the country's president for the second time. Zardari, the widower of the late former premier Benazir Bhutto and father of former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, secured 411 votes from national and provincial lawmakers. His opponent, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, backed by the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, received 181 votes.
The Pakistani presidency is largely ceremonial, and Zardari previously held the position between 2008 and 2013. He was the joint candidate of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) party of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his political allies.