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Asia Society Pakistan Resources | Additional Election Resources
Musharraf Vows Not to Resign
NEW YORK, February 20, 2008 - Even as the Pakistan Muslim Leaque-Q, the main party backing President Pervez Musharraf, has been dealt a resounding blow in Monday's parliamentary elections, the general has ruled out resigning as head of state.
The nearly complete election tally showed that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had won 88 seats in the National Assembly and the Pakistan Muslim League-N had won 66, while the pro-Musharraf party secured 38.
The PPP, the party of Pakistan's assassinated former PM Benazir Bhutto and the biggest winner in Monday's election, says it is ready to form a coalition with the PML-N party.
Dawn, the leading English language daily in Pakistan, reported that European Union election monitors said that conditions during Pakistan's election campaign favored the ruling party.
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| Pakistani electoral official emptying a ballot box in Lahore, Feb. 18, 2008 (arifali/AFP/Getty Images) |
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The EU monitors noted "some disorder and procedural irregularities" on election day, although maintained that the vote itself was "positive on the whole."
Meanwhile, US President George Bush said that the elections had been deemed fair, and were "a significant victory" for democracy.
Asia Society analyst Hasan Askari Rizvi says the key issue now is Musharraf's political fate: "He faces a very uncertain future and I don’t expect him to survive. It is now only a question of how long he will hang on."
Learn more from Asia Society's event:
Pakistan's Parliamentary Elections: The National and Global Implications
Additional Election Resources
 Dawn Election Coverage
Daily Times
Teeth Maestro - Pakistan Blog
All Things Pakistan
Dawn Election Blog
More Asia Society Resources on Pakistan
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