Former Pakistani President Asif Zardari elected to historic second term

March 9 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday was formally elected as the 14th President of Pakistan, marking the 68-year-old's second non-consecutive term holding the office.

Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Aamer Farooq confirmed the news Saturday.

Zardari was the candidate put forth by the country's ruling coalition government, made up of the Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan Peoples Party, the two largest political parties.

The widow of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto received 255 votes in Pakistan's National Assembly and Senate while United Sunni Council rival Mahmood Khan Achakzai tallied 119 votes.

Achakzai, 75, has already conceded defeat during a news conference following the vote.

"The most unusual thing about these elections is that for the first time there were no votes sold or bought," he told reporters, calling the manner in which the elections were conducted "generally correct."

Zardari previously served as president from 2008 through 2013. He is the only civilian to be elected to the office for two separate terms.

Arif Alvi's five-year term as president expired last year.

Zardari in 2019 was indicted by an Islamabad court on money laundering charges.

"Zardari has always prioritized [the] Constitution and country," Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab told Geo News, calling the election itself a "victory of democracy."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also lauded the result.

"Zardari's election as president is the continuity of democratic values," Sharif said Saturday.