News & Politics - Bhutto widower is elected Pakistan’s president

JW77 · 09-06-2008, 10:40 AM

Quote:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The widower of slain former leader Benazir Bhutto will succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan after winning a landslide election victory Saturday.

Unofficial results announced after separate votes in the federal and provincial assemblies showed Asif Ali Zardari winning an overwhelming majority.

Pro-Zardari lawmakers, some in tears, shouted "Long live Bhutto!" as the figures came in. The couple's two jubilant but tearful daughters, one carrying a portrait of their late mother, smiled and hugged friends in the gallery of the National Assembly.

Any opinions?

**TheAngel** · 09-06-2008, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JW77 (View Post)

From MSNBC.com...

Any opinions?

From what I hear, the guys has a very...interesting might be the least inflammatory term, history in terms of some of his political practices. I don't know if he's going to be a good choice for the country. I don't know much about him though, or his policies, or if he even has any for that matter. But it will be interesting to see what happens since Bhutto's enemies are still out there.

ceilirose · 09-06-2008, 08:45 PM

I had thought that her son was going to follow in her footsteps so to speak? Is ther an age requirement that he doesn't meet? He wasn't even there today and I remember when she was killed a big deal was made introducing him.

**sunnykerr** · 09-07-2008, 07:26 PM

I had also been under the impression that her son was meant to follow in her footsteps. Does anyone know what happened there?

And what are these rumours/stories about Zardari's controversial politics? I haven't heard anything on that either, so I'd be very curious to be enlightened on the issue.

Papri · 09-09-2008, 04:17 AM

"Elected". Snort.

But yeah, Zardari was imprisoned for a large part of his married life due to corruption charges...they used to call him Mr 10% because he always angled for a cut of whatever money he was dealing in - illegally of course.

Benazir's son, Bilawal Bhutto is still studying at university. He remains chairman of the party as decided on his mother's death but evidently isn't taking on the role of President for some time. The nice and fluffy idea is that his dad takes on the role, thus preserving the family ruling elite. However, there's some debate as to whether that's even Zardari's aim. He's not part of the Bhutto political dynasty by birth but through an (acrimonious) marriage; some say he's out for himself, not for his party or his son or the memory of his late wife. It's all a big mess really.

**sunnykerr** · 09-10-2008, 06:08 PM

Interesting. I knew none of that.

Presumably, though, as the son gets older, his claim to the political leadership will be reinforced, no? Or is this one of those cases where the father has too many people in his pockets and could prove to be quite the douchebag?

dayne · 09-20-2008, 11:38 AM

This article perfectly sums up my thoughts:

Quote:

Pakistan's threadbare wardrobe

Sep 09, 2008 04:30 AM

Martin Regg Cohn

History will record that Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf was wrong about many things, but his fashion sense was unerring.

Musharraf knew better than most that his presidency, which spanned nearly a decade, was always hanging by a thread. So he dressed for success – and survival – by wearing his army uniform to work.

Without his military khakis, the emperor had no clothes. When he finally shed the uniform nine months ago, bowing to public pressure after his clumsy imposition of emergency rule, his days were numbered. By last month, the jig was up: Thus denuded, he was dethroned by an emboldened Parliament that targeted him for impeachment.

Musharraf's rise and fall is the story of Pakistan itself. He was the strongman who could tackle intractable problems. But he never knew when to move on – from one-man rule to the hard work of building democratic institutions.

This week, as Pakistan's new democratically elected president takes office, Musharraf won't be missed. But unless this nuclear-armed nation of 165 million people faces up to its history, it will be condemned to repeat another cycle of military misrule. And Canadians, who have more than 2,000 troops in neighbouring Afghanistan, may pay the price in continued Taliban border infiltrations.

Musharraf's sartorial saga dominated Pakistan's political discourse from the day he took power in a bloodless coup in late 1999. And when asked about giving up the uniform, the dictator always got his back up – as I learned during a tense interview while he was at the peak of his powers. Still ensconced at Army House, his heavily guarded official residence in the garrison town of Rawalpindi, Musharraf was not amused by my suggestion that generals don't run democracies.

"What do you really mean by democracy?" he shot back.

"Don't see us from Canadian eyes. See us from Pakistani eyes," Musharraf argued. "Because democracy has failed in Pakistan."

The general had a point – then and now. His belated departure, while welcome, is hardly the dawn of a new democracy. It's part of the alternation of power between corrupt civilians and military dictators. For more than half of its 61 years, Pakistan has been under army rule.

Musharraf's mistake was overstaying his welcome – for welcomed he was in 1999, after ousting then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The country had been declared "insolvent," its foreign currency reserves at rock bottom. Sharif had fired the head of the Supreme Court, grabbed more powers for himself and clamped down on the media.

The contrast in styles was dramatic: Musharraf avoided martial law and gave the media breathing room.

Lawyers, judges, journalists, parliamentarians and NGOs quietly cheered him on. Despite their fealty to democracy, most Pakistanis were in no hurry to bring back feudal landlords masquerading as democrats. Under Musharraf, the economy rallied impressively. Perhaps inevitably, as the honeymoon waned, he rigged elections shamelessly.

Today, after a weekend ballot among lawmakers, it's the turn of a putative democrat, Asif Ali Zardari, to be sworn in as president. Dubbed "Mr. Ten Per Cent" for the alleged kickbacks he took as a minister in the cabinet of his assassinated wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, he received an amnesty from Musharraf for corruption charges. Now, he is Pakistan's most mistrusted politician. After all, if a man skims money, will he not steal votes?

Zardari is mistrusted most by his erstwhile coalition partner – none other than Nawaz Sharif, who has made an unlikely political comeback all these years later. After a February parliamentary vote, their rival parties forged a political pact to oust Musharraf; but their opportunistic coalition died the day he quit, as Zardari broke a promise to reinstate sacked judges and eschew the presidency.

In the end, Musharraf was shorn of his uniform and stripped of power. Now, the old feudalists are back, albeit wrapped in democrats' clothing. And the economy is once again on its deathbed after a few short months of civilian rule.

It's hardly a new beginning. For now, the army is back in the barracks. But how long will it be until military khaki is back in fashion?

**sunnykerr** · 09-22-2008, 06:38 AM

That's a great article. Doesn't cheer me up one bit, mind. But a great article.


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