Presidential polls will change little for Pakistan

After days of political wrangling and controversies, Mamnoon Hussain, the incumbent of Pakistan’s ruling party led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been overwhelmingly voted as the new president-elect. He would be replacing Asif Zardari, who will be stepping down from power after completing his five-year term.
The presidential elections witnessed plenty of drama as several political parties, including the main opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), boycotted the process over a change in election schedule. After a Supreme Court ruling, the elections were held one week in advance from the earlier announced dates. The opposition parties lodged a strong protest that the move did not allow them enough time to muster political support and a decision was taken without taking all stakeholders onboard.
So will the new president-elect have a huge impact on the country’s political scene and help it rise from dark times? The simple answer is, not really. In Pakistan, the president largely holds a ceremonial post of head of state. The president, who is non-partisan, represents the federation and is tasked with ensuring provincial harmony so that the country stands united against problems on all fronts.
The figurehead status is a far cry from the era of former president Pervez Musharraf, when he enjoyed extensive powers and influence over the country’s governance.
The new president was chosen from the province of Sindh, a traditional stronghold of the PPP. The ruling party has claimed that the nomination was made carefully to give smaller provinces representation at the federal level. If this rationale is accepted, then it may have been more appropriate to choose a representative from the volatile regions of either Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa.
These provinces have suffered the brunt of terrorism and weak economic activity, and a president from either of the two regions would have helped to develop closer links with the federation.
With limited powers, it would be unfair to expect too much from Hussain. The real onus for Pakistan’s development and progress lies with the government led by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The ruling party should have ensured that the elections remained uncontroversial and created a level playing field for all the stakeholders to participate in the democratic process. According to some critics, the only reason Mamnoon was chosen for the job was his strong loyalty with the Sharif’s.
The leadership reposed trust in him to strengthen its grip on power and avoid any confrontation on other political fronts. His
nomination also raised eyebrows as he lacks political credentials to foster closer ties between the federation and provinces. By sidelining merit, the ability of Pakistan’s newly-elected government to overcome some of the gravest threats faced by the country has also come under question.
The haphazard manner in which presidential elections took place and the ensuing animosity between political parties suggests that Mamnoon will have a tough time in winning the confidence of all stakeholders. It can only be hoped that he does not only command moral authority, but can also create positive energy to help Pakistan rise to new heights.
He should immediately focus on undertaking the reconciliation process and proposing policies that call for building a consensus towards achieving goals of national interest. In case he fails, the political crisis Pakistan is likely to deepen and divert the attention of ruling party from core issues that are hampering progress of the country.

• This article is exclusive to Arab News.