Kathianne
02-18-2008, 10:23 PM
Not good news, at least at face:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080219/ts_nm/pakistan_election_dc
Musharraf allies face major defeat in Pakistan vote
By Robert Birsel1 hour, 10 minutes ago
The party that backs Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was headed for a major defeat on Tuesday after voters rallied to the opposition, raising questions about the future of the U.S. ally who has ruled since 1999.
As president, former army chief Musharraf did not contest Monday's parliamentary elections aimed at completing a transition to civilian rule, but the outcome could seal his fate.
A hostile parliament could try to remove Musharraf, who took power as a general in a 1999 coup and emerged as a crucial U.S. ally in a "war on terror" that most Pakistanis think is Washington's, not theirs.
The election was relatively peaceful after a bloody campaign and opposition fears of rampant rigging by Musharraf's supporters appeared unfounded.
The vote was postponed from January 8 after the assassination of former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack on December 27, which raised concern about the nuclear-armed country's stability.
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has been expected to reap a sympathy vote and was doing well, early results showed.
But unofficial Election Commission tallies showed the other main opposition party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, leading in Punjab province where half the members of parliament will be elected.
No party is expected to win a majority in the 342-seat National Assembly but either Bhutto's PPP or Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), was set to be biggest.
Whichever is bigger will be best placed to lead a coalition.
....
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080219/ts_nm/pakistan_election_dc
Musharraf allies face major defeat in Pakistan vote
By Robert Birsel1 hour, 10 minutes ago
The party that backs Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was headed for a major defeat on Tuesday after voters rallied to the opposition, raising questions about the future of the U.S. ally who has ruled since 1999.
As president, former army chief Musharraf did not contest Monday's parliamentary elections aimed at completing a transition to civilian rule, but the outcome could seal his fate.
A hostile parliament could try to remove Musharraf, who took power as a general in a 1999 coup and emerged as a crucial U.S. ally in a "war on terror" that most Pakistanis think is Washington's, not theirs.
The election was relatively peaceful after a bloody campaign and opposition fears of rampant rigging by Musharraf's supporters appeared unfounded.
The vote was postponed from January 8 after the assassination of former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a suicide attack on December 27, which raised concern about the nuclear-armed country's stability.
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has been expected to reap a sympathy vote and was doing well, early results showed.
But unofficial Election Commission tallies showed the other main opposition party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, leading in Punjab province where half the members of parliament will be elected.
No party is expected to win a majority in the 342-seat National Assembly but either Bhutto's PPP or Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), was set to be biggest.
Whichever is bigger will be best placed to lead a coalition.
....