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Musharraf Trailing in Third Place - Bhutto Leads (early exit polls)
and John Kerry says EVERYTHING is going great! For some reason, he's thereThe party of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto remained in the lead Monday and that of President Pervez Musharraf trailed behind in third place as vote-counting continued at the close of polls in Pakistan a stunning development with major implications for the war on terror in the United States and abroad. Early indications showed Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party in a strong first place in the parliamentary elections, followed by opposition Pakistan Muslim League-N of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif. The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Q was trailing in third. Two opinion polls had predicted those results going into Monday's elections. There were no official tallies when polls closed about 5 p.m. local time, but results were trickling in late in the day. Final returns weren't expected before Wednesday. Pakistan's embattled president appealed for unity Monday. Musharraf was not on the ballot, but the election was widely seen as a referendum on his eight-year rule including his alliance with the United States in the war on terror that many Pakistanis oppose. Voter turnout was light to moderate, with fears of militant attacks and rigging keeping many Pakistanis at home. Officials confirmed that 24 people were killed since Sunday night in election-related violence, mostly in the country's biggest province of Punjab, the key electoral battleground. Balloting proceeded without major attacks, although the opposition party of Bhutto claimed 15 of its members were killed and hundreds injured in scattered violence "deliberately engineered to deter voters." The elections were held Monday after a six-week delay in the vote, seen as a key step toward democracy after eight years of military rule under Musharraf, whose political survival was in serious jeopardy. Posted by: Sherry 2008-02-18 |
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