Pakistan to set date for elections
Pakistan's election commission was expected on Tuesday to set a new date for polls, probably in February.
By Agencies |
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's election commission was expected on Tuesday to set a new date for polls, probably in February, after assessing the security situation following Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
Senior government officials say the vote would be delayed by at least four weeks from the original scheduled date of January 8.
The election commission held an emergency meeting Monday in the wake of the bloody violence unleashed by Bhutto's slaying that has left at least 58 dead, but put off an announcement until Tuesday.
The vote for members of parliament is seen as a final step in a transition to civilian-led democracy under President Pervez Musharraf, who grabbed power in the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation in a 1999 military coup.
He only stepped down from the army at the end of November - under intense international pressure - after securing a second term as president.
The United States, which views Musharraf as a frontline ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists, said it would still prefer a vote on January 8 if it could be held "in a safe and secure way."
US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said a delay may be acceptable as long as there was broad approval, but warned Washington would have "concerns" if there was an indefinite postponement.
"We do believe that Pakistan should set a specific date so the process can be open and predictable," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel added. "But in terms of the precise timing of that, that's up to the people in Pakistan."
Bhutto, a two-time former premier who had recently returned from exile to lead her Pakistan People's Party into elections, was assassinated in a gun and suicide bomb attack as she left a rally last Thursday.
It sparked street clashes, arson and violence across the country as angry protesters denounced the government, although life in the major cities is now beginning to return to normal.
Senior government officials say the vote would be delayed by at least four weeks from the original scheduled date of January 8.
The election commission held an emergency meeting Monday in the wake of the bloody violence unleashed by Bhutto's slaying that has left at least 58 dead, but put off an announcement until Tuesday.
The vote for members of parliament is seen as a final step in a transition to civilian-led democracy under President Pervez Musharraf, who grabbed power in the world's only nuclear-armed Islamic nation in a 1999 military coup.
He only stepped down from the army at the end of November - under intense international pressure - after securing a second term as president.
The United States, which views Musharraf as a frontline ally in the fight against Al-Qaeda and Taliban extremists, said it would still prefer a vote on January 8 if it could be held "in a safe and secure way."
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US State Department spokesman Tom Casey said a delay may be acceptable as long as there was broad approval, but warned Washington would have "concerns" if there was an indefinite postponement.
"We do believe that Pakistan should set a specific date so the process can be open and predictable," White House spokesman Scott Stanzel added. "But in terms of the precise timing of that, that's up to the people in Pakistan."
Bhutto, a two-time former premier who had recently returned from exile to lead her Pakistan People's Party into elections, was assassinated in a gun and suicide bomb attack as she left a rally last Thursday.
It sparked street clashes, arson and violence across the country as angry protesters denounced the government, although life in the major cities is now beginning to return to normal.
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Opposition parties, including Bhutto's, have sharply criticised Musharraf over her death and gone back and forth on whether they would accept a delay to the election.
However a cabinet official said it would be postponed for at least a month after election offices were ransacked and voter lists burnt.
"Certainly it will be pushed back for at least four weeks if not more," the official said.
Separately, a government official said: "It is out of the question that the elections will be held on January 8 because of the widespread unrest that has directly affected election staff and vote preparations."
An election commission spokesman declined on Monday to give any indication of timing.
Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, who was named as co-chair of the party along with his son, said the vote should go ahead as planned, telling CNN news channel that "democracy was the best vengeance" against terrorism.
"There can be elections in Afghanistan when there is an Al-Qaeda movement. Why can't there be elections in Pakistan and on time?" he asked.
Opposition parties allege the commission is biased in favour of Musharraf, whose popularity has plummeted in the past year. Previous elections have been marred by bloodshed and allegations of widespread vote-rigging.
Public anger at the death of Bhutto, a pro-Western politician whose family dynasty has a huge popular following, has mounted since the interior ministry denied that her attacker - clearly seen in videos firing a gun at close range - had actually hit her.
It said she died banging her head on her car's sunroof. Bhutto's party, which has named her 19-year-old son Bilawal to take over as its titular chairman, has demanded a UN probe - something a senior government official said was out of the question.
Three days of national mourning ended Monday, and petrol stations, banks, pharmacies and restaurants have started to re-open, providing relief for tens of millions of Pakistanis.
However a cabinet official said it would be postponed for at least a month after election offices were ransacked and voter lists burnt.
"Certainly it will be pushed back for at least four weeks if not more," the official said.
Separately, a government official said: "It is out of the question that the elections will be held on January 8 because of the widespread unrest that has directly affected election staff and vote preparations."
An election commission spokesman declined on Monday to give any indication of timing.
Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari, who was named as co-chair of the party along with his son, said the vote should go ahead as planned, telling CNN news channel that "democracy was the best vengeance" against terrorism.
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"There can be elections in Afghanistan when there is an Al-Qaeda movement. Why can't there be elections in Pakistan and on time?" he asked.
Opposition parties allege the commission is biased in favour of Musharraf, whose popularity has plummeted in the past year. Previous elections have been marred by bloodshed and allegations of widespread vote-rigging.
Public anger at the death of Bhutto, a pro-Western politician whose family dynasty has a huge popular following, has mounted since the interior ministry denied that her attacker - clearly seen in videos firing a gun at close range - had actually hit her.
It said she died banging her head on her car's sunroof. Bhutto's party, which has named her 19-year-old son Bilawal to take over as its titular chairman, has demanded a UN probe - something a senior government official said was out of the question.
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Three days of national mourning ended Monday, and petrol stations, banks, pharmacies and restaurants have started to re-open, providing relief for tens of millions of Pakistanis.
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