Dr. Arif Alvi is on track to become the nation’s fourth democratically elected president to finish a five-year term with his term officially coming to a close today (Friday).
Before Dr. Alvi, Chaudhary Fazal Elahi was the fifth president, serving from 1973 to 1978; Asif Ali Zardari was the eleventh, serving from 2008 to 2013; and Mamnoon Hussain was the twelfth, serving from 2013 to 2018. Dr. Alvi will serve a full term as president for the third time in a row.
In addition, Dr. Alvi is likely to hold onto his position indefinitely as there isn’t an electoral college needed to select the president. Although Chaudhry Elahi also served as the country’s symbolic leader for an extra month until Zia-ul-Haq took office on September 16, 1978, this would make him one of the few heads of state in the nation’s history to serve for a lengthy period of time.
Under the legislation, the president is chosen by representatives from the four provincial legislatures, the Senate, and both chambers of parliament, the National Assembly and National Assembly.
According to Article 44(1) of the Constitution, the president will serve for a period of five years beginning on the day he takes office, but he will remain in that position until a replacement is chosen.
Who knows how long Dr. Alvi will serve in office given that general elections are shrouded in uncertainty and that the Election Commission appears to be intending to hold elections sometime in late January.
