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Pakistan president will win election: PM
June 11, 2007 - 11:19AM
Pakistan's prime minister said he expects President Pervez Musharraf to secure another five years in office this northern autumn in spite of turmoil over his bid to fire the chief justice.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz projected an air of confidence for the government and Musharraf's leadership, playing down signs of a spread in Islamic extremism in the country and predicting parliament would finish its full five-year term for the first time in the country's history.
Aziz said Pakistan's economy has grown and the country now has record reserves of $US15 billion ($A17.86 billion).
"The whole nation hopes, and I'm sure President Musharraf wants, to stand for re-election. We are very sure he will contest and he will be elected for another term," said Aziz, seated in a state reception room in his official residence overlooking the capital.
Both Musharraf's and Aziz's political futures have been thrown into question by the outpouring of opposition to the March 9 suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, which has provoked deadly unrest and accusations of authoritarian rule by the military leader.
Last week the government announced rules to contain an increasingly critical independent media coverage, but withdrew the proposal over the weekend after scathing domestic and international reaction. In the interview, Aziz went out of his way to defend the government record in tolerating criticism.
"We believe in freedom of the press. The government is very much at peace with itself, so if people criticise us we welcome it as long as there is a code of conduct and norms of fair reporting are followed," he said.
He added that the institution of the army should be spared unfair attacks.
An armed forces commander, Musharraf, 63, came to power in 1999 in a coup that ousted the democratically elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and then declared himself president in 2001, before seeking a public mandate in a widely criticised national referendum in 2002, in which he was the only candidate. He won a vote of confidence in parliament at the start of 2004 to validate his rule.
Aziz said the government has a "comfortable majority" in parliament and he therefore sees no obstacle for Musharraf, one of the United States' allies in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, winning re-election in a vote scheduled to take place between September 15 and October 15.
He said the constitution allows Musharraf to be re-elected by the sitting parliament rather than a new parliament that would take its place after elections late in the year.
Musharraf's political opponents in Pakistan have criticised the arrangement that would allow a parliament that has not been elected in a popular vote since 2002 to give Musharraf an additional term in office to allow him to govern until 2012.
Demands are rising for a return to civilian rule from a cross-section of Pakistanis, including lawyers, intellectuals and opposition parties. They argue a return to full democracy rather than an army-dominated administration would be the best defence against rising extremism.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party now in exile in Dubai and London, is emerging as Musharraf's chief political rival.
Aziz said she was free to return to the country before elections, but will face continuing legal cases against her - a reference to corruption allegations dating back to her two terms in office in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"That question is better put to her," he said when asked about her possible return.
"But she has some legal issues in this country and others and perhaps she will seek legal advice from legal counsel. She has to decide what her future is."
Bhutto's supporters would like to return to mount a challenge to Musharraf's rule, while some have speculated she could form an alliance with Musharraf in order to counter the growing influence of Islamist parties, some of which are believed to have thinly veiled ties to militants.
Aziz said he expected no problems in the parliamentary elections. Sometime around November, he said, an interim prime minister would take over for two to three months to prepare for the vote.
"We are very committed to free and fair elections," said Aziz.
"We welcome observers from all around the world."
© 2007 AP DIGITAL
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World...in-election-PM/2007/06/11/1181414180585.html#
June 11, 2007 - 11:19AM
Pakistan's prime minister said he expects President Pervez Musharraf to secure another five years in office this northern autumn in spite of turmoil over his bid to fire the chief justice.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz projected an air of confidence for the government and Musharraf's leadership, playing down signs of a spread in Islamic extremism in the country and predicting parliament would finish its full five-year term for the first time in the country's history.
Aziz said Pakistan's economy has grown and the country now has record reserves of $US15 billion ($A17.86 billion).
"The whole nation hopes, and I'm sure President Musharraf wants, to stand for re-election. We are very sure he will contest and he will be elected for another term," said Aziz, seated in a state reception room in his official residence overlooking the capital.
Both Musharraf's and Aziz's political futures have been thrown into question by the outpouring of opposition to the March 9 suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, which has provoked deadly unrest and accusations of authoritarian rule by the military leader.
Last week the government announced rules to contain an increasingly critical independent media coverage, but withdrew the proposal over the weekend after scathing domestic and international reaction. In the interview, Aziz went out of his way to defend the government record in tolerating criticism.
"We believe in freedom of the press. The government is very much at peace with itself, so if people criticise us we welcome it as long as there is a code of conduct and norms of fair reporting are followed," he said.
He added that the institution of the army should be spared unfair attacks.
An armed forces commander, Musharraf, 63, came to power in 1999 in a coup that ousted the democratically elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and then declared himself president in 2001, before seeking a public mandate in a widely criticised national referendum in 2002, in which he was the only candidate. He won a vote of confidence in parliament at the start of 2004 to validate his rule.
Aziz said the government has a "comfortable majority" in parliament and he therefore sees no obstacle for Musharraf, one of the United States' allies in the war against the Taliban and al-Qaeda, winning re-election in a vote scheduled to take place between September 15 and October 15.
He said the constitution allows Musharraf to be re-elected by the sitting parliament rather than a new parliament that would take its place after elections late in the year.
Musharraf's political opponents in Pakistan have criticised the arrangement that would allow a parliament that has not been elected in a popular vote since 2002 to give Musharraf an additional term in office to allow him to govern until 2012.
Demands are rising for a return to civilian rule from a cross-section of Pakistanis, including lawyers, intellectuals and opposition parties. They argue a return to full democracy rather than an army-dominated administration would be the best defence against rising extremism.
Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party now in exile in Dubai and London, is emerging as Musharraf's chief political rival.
Aziz said she was free to return to the country before elections, but will face continuing legal cases against her - a reference to corruption allegations dating back to her two terms in office in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
"That question is better put to her," he said when asked about her possible return.
"But she has some legal issues in this country and others and perhaps she will seek legal advice from legal counsel. She has to decide what her future is."
Bhutto's supporters would like to return to mount a challenge to Musharraf's rule, while some have speculated she could form an alliance with Musharraf in order to counter the growing influence of Islamist parties, some of which are believed to have thinly veiled ties to militants.
Aziz said he expected no problems in the parliamentary elections. Sometime around November, he said, an interim prime minister would take over for two to three months to prepare for the vote.
"We are very committed to free and fair elections," said Aziz.
"We welcome observers from all around the world."
© 2007 AP DIGITAL
http://www.theage.com.au/news/World...in-election-PM/2007/06/11/1181414180585.html#
