Musharraf Reelected?

Pakistan's Musharraf wins landslide, awaits court ruling

14 hours ago

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Pakistan's military ruler Pervez Musharraf won a landslide victory in a controversial presidential election Saturday, but the Supreme Court may yet snatch another five-year term away from him.

Musharraf, a key US ally who seized power in the nuclear-armed Islamic republic in a 1999 coup, crushed token rivals in a vote by national and provincial parliaments that was mostly boycotted by the opposition.

But the embattled general must now await a decision by the Supreme Court, which said Friday that the winner cannot be officially declared until at least October 17 while it hears legal challenges.

"I bow my head in front of God almighty and thank him for giving me such a great victory," Musharraf told reporters at the presidential palace after the election.

Musharraf called on opposition parties to accept the outcome and urged them not to destabilise the volatile nation of 160 million people by holding strikes or protests.

But he refused to say what he would do if the court overturns the result -- amid speculation that he could declare martial law -- adding: "Let them come to their decision, then we will decide."

The United States gave cautious congratulations to Pakistan, but withheld comment on reports that Musharraf had registered a sweeping win.

"Pakistan is an important partner and ally to the United States and we congratulate them for today's election," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said, refusing to comment on the winner until an official declaration is made.

Supporters of Musharraf's ruling Pakistan Muslim League banged drums and set off fireworks outside the presidency after the election.

But anti-Musharraf protesters angrily set fire to an armoured police vehicle and pelted the provincial parliament with stones in the northwestern city of Peshawar, while there were small protests in southern Karachi city.

Chief election commissioner Qazi Mohammad Farooq said a total of 257 votes were cast in the national assembly and senate, out of which Musharraf bagged 252 and three were rejected.

One rival, former judge Wajihuddin Ahmad, won two votes, he said. Another, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, vice-chairman of former premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, got none.

Musharraf's total electoral college vote, including the provincial assemblies, was 384 ballots out of 702, government officials said on condition of anonymity.

Opposition parties, who make up nearly 30 percent of the college, had resigned prior to the polls, while Bhutto's MPs abstained after she sealed a reconciliation deal with Musharraf on Friday.

The president, who is also army chief, had hoped for a smooth poll before going ahead with his promise to restore civilian rule to the nation, at the front line of the US-led "war on terror."

But the Supreme Court, which has been at loggerheads with Musharraf since he tried to sack the chief justice in March, postponed the official result until it has resolved appeals against his eligibility and the legality of the vote itself.

"It's a sham election," said Siddiqul Farooq from the opposition All Parties Democracy Movement, whose MPs last week resigned from parliament.

The government, however, insisted Musharraf's victory was valid.

Musharraf had bolstered his position Friday by giving Bhutto an amnesty on graft charges. The move paves the way for a power-sharing deal ahead of her homecoming on October 18.

Bhutto in turn withdrew a threat for her MPs to quit, a move that would have robbed the vote of legitimacy.

The court decision means Musharraf could still be disqualified weeks after the poll -- heightening instability after months of turmoil and Islamist violence.

It could delay former commando Musharraf's plans to shed his military role -- a position he has said is vital for fighting Al-Qaeda -- and finally become a civilian ruler before he takes the oath of office.

He had promised to do so by November 15 when his term ends and was expected to do it much earlier, possibly by Monday, but may now feel he needs the army behind him in case of a hostile court ruling.

The transition to civilian rule is seen as a crucial step ahead of general elections that are due by early 2008.

Musharraf's attempt to sack the chief justice badly damaged his popularity and sparked mass protests, and at the same time the country is also suffering extremist violence.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden urged Pakistanis in a recent video to rise up and wage holy war against Musharraf, sparking fears of a possible militant backlash during the election.