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Fundos Gain In Muted Pakistani Vote
A coalition of six hard-line religious parties, the United Action Forum, did better than expected, gaining a clear majority in the contest for the provincial legislature in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province on the border with Afghanistan, the election commission said this morning.We expected that in NWFP — that's Pashtun country... Running on a strong anti-American platform, the parties also showed unexpected strength in the southern port city of Karachi and in southern Punjab province. If the parties emerge as a significant force in the new National Assembly, that could complicate Musharraf's efforts to lend assistance to the United States in its hunt for the remnants of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Pak politix has already devolved into a peeing contest between Perv and the Fundos. The other parties are spear carriers in the drama... In the past, religious parties have been a minor factor in Pakistani politics, holding only a handful of seats in the last parliament. Before the vote, diplomats predicted that the religious parties would win no more than 20 seats at the national level. Party officials, however, had predicted gains in the neighborhood of 35 to 40 seats. By early this morning, the coalition had already won 14 seats, including one in Islamabad, with only a smattering of results reported. If the trend continues, the religious hard-liners could emerge as partners in any coalition government resulting from the vote. Which puts them in a position to rant, rave and obstruct... Elsewhere in the country, early returns appeared to be in line with predictions of a close contest between the pro-government Quaid-i-Azam faction of the National Muslim League and the Pakistan People's Party, headed by exiled former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. On the basis of those returns, analysts today forecast a "hung parliament" that could prove a significant headache for Musharraf, even if it is unlikely to pose a direct challenge to his rule. Either that, or Perv's got to get the two to bury that hatchet... The voting was marred by scattered violence in which four people were shot dead, according to Pakistani officials. Opposition leaders charged that the government had sought to intimidate voters and dampen turnout in some areas on behalf of pro-government candidates. Only four dead seems pretty good for Pakland. Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2002-10-11 |
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