 He lost the 6 September 2008 2008 Pakistani presidential election, by 153 votes to Asif Ali Zardari, who was elected President of Pakistan.The PML-N although in power wanted Siddiqui as a unanimous candidate as he was the only nonpartisan candidate contesting this election of 2008.Justice Siddiqui was again selected for running as the candidate for the Presidential Election in the 2013 Pakistani presidential election, but at the last moment his name was replaced with Mamnoon Hussain as Siddiqui never joined the PML-N and was a neutral candidate.