Musharraf's party admits defeat

Allies of Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf fared poorly in yesterday’s elections while opposition parties did well, although neither Nawaz Sharif (of the Muslim League-N) nor Asif Zadari (of the PPP) will be able to form a government without negotiations.

Voting appears to have been heavily regional, with Sharif sweeping the Punjab, and the PPP doing well in Sindh. Clearly, matters of political principle did not dominate the elections, which were marked by a low turnout.

A delegation of U.S. Democrats, led by John Kerry and Joe Biden, was on hand to discipline the ruling clique, threatening to cut-off aid should irregularities be too brazen. The post-Bush relationship between Washington and Islamabad will no doubt be slightly different, but not necessarily any more democratic.

President Pervez Musharraf today suffered a crushing blow to his authority as his ruling party conceded defeat after a paltry showing in Pakistan’s parliamentary elections.

Musharraf’s Pakistan Muslim League-Q party (PML-Q), stung by his collapsing popularity, said it was preparing to work in opposition.

The PML-Q chairman, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, told AP television news that “we accept the results with an open heart” and “will sit on opposition benches” in the new parliament.

The big winners were the Pakistan People’s party of the assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, and Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N.

But neither party won an outright majority and are expected to enter power-sharing talks. Sharif’s party performed better than most polls had predicted, sweeping the board in the populous Punjab province, which elects about half of the parliament.

Posted by Szamko
Just tries to tell the truth.