| 2007
Pakistan Election: Pakistan enters period of political limbo:
ISLAMABAD,
Pakistan (AP) - Pakistan has entered a period
of political limbo, caught between Gen. Pervez Musharraf's
presidential election win and a future Supreme Court ruling
on whether he was even eligible to run.
Musharraf
scored an overwhelming victory Saturday in a vote by lawmakers
that was boycotted by much of the opposition in protest
against the U.S.-allied military leader.
The
country must wait at least 10 days for the Supreme Court
to either confirm the result or disqualify Musharraf,
because he ran for re-election while retaining his position
as army chief, which the constitution prohibits.
Although
the court this year has issued rulings that have shaken
Musharraf's dominance, analysts question
whether it would dare deny him victory and potentially
throw the country into chaos. On Sunday, The Nation newspaper
printed a cartoon showing Musharraf frowning toward the
Supreme Court, his fingers crossed behind his back.
Saturday's
election has gone down among the most controversial in
Pakistan's turbulent 60-year history. Musharraf
won 671 votes, while a retired judge who was his main
rival received just eight. In all, 1,170 federal and provincial
lawmakers were eligible to vote.
Musharraf
dismissed criticism that the boycott had undermined the
election's legitimacy.
"Democracy
means majority, whether there is opposition or no opposition,"
he told reporters on the lawn of his official residence.
"A majority, a vast majority, have voted for me and therefore
that result is the result."
But
an opposition alliance -- including the party of former
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf
toppled in a 1999 coup -- said the vote was illegitimate.
"The
election has no moral or constitutional value," Raja
Zafarul Haq, a leader of the alliance, told The
Associated Press on Sunday.
He
said leaders of the All Parties Democratic Movement would
meet in the coming days to plan protests against Musharraf,
although their strike call on Saturday was widely ignored.
The
Supreme Court has already dismissed several complaints
that Musharraf was ineligible under a
constitutional ban on public servants running for office.
But it said Friday that the election results cannot be
declared official until it has issued its verdict on fresh
petitions.
The
court has said it will resume hearing the petitions against
Musharraf on October 17.
Still,
Musharraf allies took heart that the
court had allowed the vote to be held among lawmakers
chosen in flawed 2002 polls rather than waiting for parliamentary
elections due by January, where his allies may lose ground.
To
shore up his support, Musharraf has held talks with Benazir
Bhutto, another former prime minister, which
could lead to their sharing power in the country's next
parliament.
On
Friday, Musharraf signed into law an
amnesty quashing corruption cases pending against Bhutto,
paving the way for her planned return on Pakistan on October
18.
Bhutto's
secular, liberal party has also snubbed the broader opposition
alliance, which includes Islamist parties opposed to Pakistan's
frontline role in Washington's war on terror.
Musharraf,
who seized power in a 1999 coup, has promised to vacate
his army post before starting a new five-year term --
one of Bhutto's key demands.
Musharraf's
standing and authority have crumbled since his clumsy
attempt to fire the chief justice of the Supreme Court
in March. His government has also received much blame
for the widening gap between the rich and poor, which
has occurred despite an economic boom.
While
Musharraf argues that he should stay
on to ensure that Pakistan enjoys a smooth transition
to civilian rule and to strengthen its fight against extremism,
prolonged political wrangling could dilute his focus.
"How
many fronts can the government pursue simultaneously?"
Hasan-Askari Rizvi, a prominent political analyst, wrote
in Sunday's Daily Times newspaper. "If internal political
conditions do not stabilize, the militants will get more
space to carry out their activities."
In
a reminder of that threat, the army said it fought two
battles with militants near the Afghan border on Sunday
that left 50 militants and 20 soldiers dead.
For
more breaking news on the upcoming 2007 Pakistan
Elections,
click HERE .
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