Unofficial results showed that Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf was leading yesterday's election, but the Supreme Court could still disqualify the military leader.
The election by federal and provincial lawmakers was a one-sided affair. Opposition parties abstained or boycotted to protest Musharraf's running for a new five-year term while still army chief.
Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq announced that Musharraf had won 252 of the 257 votes cast in parliament, with three ballots judged invalid and two votes going to his main rival, retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmad.
Pakistan Television reported unofficial results that Musharraf had also swept the voting in three of Pakistan's four provinces. Counting was still underway in the fourth province of Sindh.
The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the official results can only be declared after it rules on complaints lodged by Musharraf's opponents that his candidacy is unconstitutional.
Ruling-party lawmakers were claiming victory even before counting began. Only a handful of the government's opponents were among the 691 lawmakers who turned out to vote.
"He will be elected with a vast majority," Privatization Minister Wasi Zafar said. "God willing we will enter full democracy."
But the opposition said the ballot was invalid.
"We will not accept him as president. He flouted the Constitution, and he is a person who has hardly any respect for the rule of law," said Sadique ul-Farooq, a leader of the party of exiled former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Deputy Information Minister Tariq Azim said complete unofficial results would be known by 4:30pm.
Hearings on the petitions challenging Musharraf's candidacy will resume on Oct. 17, meaning if Musharraf wins he would have to wait at least 11 days before knowing whether he could take office.
His current presidential term expires on Nov. 15.
Pakistan Television reported that Musharraf won unanimously in Baluchistan Province with 33 votes and polled 31 of the 34 ballots cast in North West Frontier Province. In Punjab, Musharraf won 253 of the 257 votes cast, it said.
Musharraf has seen his popularity plummet since a failed bid to oust the country's top judge in March and has promised to give up his powerful army post if he wins the election and to restore civilian rule.
He says he wants to stay on to continue policies that have turned around Pakistan's economy despite its position on the front line of the US-led war on terrorism.
It appears likely he will form an alliance with exiled prime minister Benazir Bhutto after parliamentary elections in January.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS