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According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by an electoral college consisting of the Senate, National Assembly, and the provincial assemblies.
The Constitution gives the President the reserve powers to dissolve the National Assembly of Pakistan (thereby triggering new elections) and to dismiss the Prime Minister. The President also chairs the National Security Council and appoints the heads of the Army , Navy and Air Force.
In 1947 Pakistan became a dominion within the British Commonwealth with the King of PakistanKing Edward VIII The 'R' and 'I' after his name indicate 'king' and 'emperor' in Latin ('Rex' and 'Imperator', respectively). The title Empress of India was given to Queen Victoria in 1877 when India was formally incorporated into the British Empire. as head of state. The King was represented in Pakistan by a Governor-General of PakistanThe Governor-General of Pakistan was the resident representative of the King of Pakistan in Pakistan from 1947 to 1956. When Pakistan became an independent, self-governing nation in 1947, it initially adopted the constitutional monarchy form of government. In 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in, dominion ended when Pakistan established its first constitutionThe Constitution of a given organisation defines its form, structure, activities, character, and fundamental rules. To view particular constitutions, refer to the list of national constitutions. The term comes from Latin constitutio which referred to any, and the positions of Queen and Governor-General were merged into the President.
Pakistan's first president was Iskander MirzaIskander Mirza ( November 15, 1899 November 15, 1969) was the first President of Pakistan and held that position from 1956 until 1958. He was also the fourth Governor-General of Pakistan before it was replaced by the Presidency. Iskander Mirza was born in, who was also the last Governor General. In 1958Events January January 1 Treaty of Rome founding the EU is implemented January 4 Sputnik 1 falls to Earth from its orbit (launched on October 4 1957) January 8 14 year old Bobby Fischer wins the United States Chess Championship January 18 Armed Lumbee Nat, he abrogated the constitution and declared martial lawMartial law is the system of rules that takes effect (usually after a formal declaration) when a particular situation requires that a military authority take control of the normal administration of justice (and usually of the whole state). Martial law is. A few weeks later, he was overthrown in a bloodless Coup d'étatA coup d'etat ( IPA: /ku deit/), often simply called a coup is the sudden overthrow of a government, usually done by a small group that just replaces the top power figures. It is different from a revolution, which is staged by a larger group and radically by General Ayub Khan who had himself declared President. The constitution was revised, and the President became the ruler of Pakistan. The constitution also stipulated that the President be elected by the people. Elections were held in 1963, and Khan defeated the sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Fatima.
Ayub Khan continued as pesident until March 25, 1969, and he passed the Presidency onto Yahya Khan. Yahya Khan stepped down after the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto became the new president and presided over the formation of a new Constitution. This constitution was completed in 1973, and reduced the presidency to a figurehead position, giving power to the Prime Minister. Bhutto stepped down as President and became Prime Minister, symbolizing the transition. The President was henceforth elected by legislative assembly members, not by popular vote. Popular vote would be used to directly elect the members of the National Assembly, including the Prime Minister.
In 1978, Prime Minister Bhutto was toppled by General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq who declared himself President. The presidency again became the premier position in the Pakistani government. Zia introduced the Eighth Amendment which gave reserve powers to the President's office. Zia died in 1988, and the Prime Minister's office regained leadership of the country. The Presidency retained its reserve powers until 1997, when the Thirteenth Amendment was passed.
However, the 1999 coup of General Pervez Musharraf brought executive powers back to the President's office. National and provincial elections were held in 2002. In December 2003, the Seventeenth Amendment partially restored the President's reserve powers. In January 2004, the Electoral College gave Musharraf a vote of confidence, as result of which he was (according to the Constitution) "deemed to be elected." Musharraf's term of office as president ends in 2007.