Pakistani President Faces Election Setback
The
Supreme Court in Pakistan has ruled that presidential election
scheduled for Saturday, October 6th can hold but, the results
would not be announced until it has ruled on whether or not,
General Pervez Musharraf can stand for re-election while still
an army chief.
The chief judge, Javed Iqbal announced; “The bench has
unanimously resolved and directed that the election process
should proceed as per the schedule announced by the chief
election commissioner”…"But final notification of the returning
candidate will not be issued until the decision of this petition
for which the process is to begin from 17 October."
The ruling by the court casts doubts over the presidential
election as the court wants more time to consider the arguments.
President Musharraf needs to muster enough majorities in the
national parliament and four provincial assemblies that select
the president.
The court ruling however means that even if he gets most votes,
he cannot be declared winner until the court has decided if he
was a valid candidate in the first place.
The move comes as former the Prime Minister, Ms Benazir Bhutto
is expected to seal a reconciliation deal with General Musharraf.
Coincidences
The October 17th date set by the court coincides with the end of
the Eid festival. It also corresponds with the day Ms Benazir
Bhutto says she will return from years of self-imposed exile.
General Musharraf was said to have delayed formalising a power
sharing deal with Benazir Bhutto, pending the court's verdict.
This would pave the way for Ms Bhutto's return to contest
forthcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to be held by
mid-January.
BBC/MIA
