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Musharraf's another term?

Nirupama Subramanian

Islamabad: A senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League has added to the speculation that President Pervez Musharraf is planning to get re-elected through the same electoral college that confirmed him as head of state in 2002. A presidential election is due in late 2007, as are elections to the National and provincial Assemblies. Last month, Gen. Musharraf said he would seek another term through the existing Assemblies. The pro-Musharraf PML has a simple majority in the Assemblies, which is sufficient for electing a President. Mushahid Hussain Sayed, secretary-general of the PML, told journalists on Monday that the Assemblies would elect the President. He expressed confidence that Gen. Musharraf would "easily" win another term. A legal adviser to the President, S.M. Zaffer, also said recently that the Constitution allowed Gen. Musharraf to see election through the Assemblies. Gen. Musharraf's appointment as President in 2002 came through a referendum that the National Assembly and provincial Assemblies, then freshly elected, ratified. Talk of his re-election through the same Assemblies has intensified after the two main Opposition leaders, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, joined hands and vowed to remove him from power.

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