Pakistan's ruling party on Wednesday (July 24) nominated a former governor of the southern province of Sindh as its presidential candidate in polls due to be held on July 30.

Mamnoon Hussain, a veteran politician who has been an active member of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) since the sixties, is the front-runner for the president's office once President Asif Ali Zardari's term expires in September.

The former governor of Sindh has remained a Sharif loyalist for decades, and is currently a senior vice president for the ruling party.

Zardari's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has nominated Raza Rabbani, a party stalwart, as their candidate.

An electoral college - comprising members of the national and provincial assembles and the senate - and not the popular vote elects the president of Pakistan.

Under the current system, the president is a largely ceremonial figure while executive powers require both consultation and final confirmation from the prime minister.

Polling for the presidential office is scheduled to be held on July 30.

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