Pakistan's Zardari seeks presidency
Benazir Bhutto's husband Asif Ali Zardari will stand for the presidency
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Saturday, 23, Aug 2008 09:32
The widower of assassinated opposition figurehead Benazir Bhutto is to stand as president of Pakistan, his party has announced.
Ms Bhutto was killed in December last year and was succeeded as the leader of the Pakistan People's party (PPP) by her husband, Asif Ali Zardari.
Mr Zardari found himself leading a coalition government after parliamentary elections in February saw the PPP ally with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N).
Tensions have emerged between the two government partners following president Pervez Musharraf's resignation on Monday, threatening their coalition.
Mr Zardari's presidential candidacy is only likely to be accepted by Mr Sharif if the presidency's powers are substantially curtailed.
And Mr Sharif is also seeking the immediate reinstatement of judges sacked by Mr Musharraf during a state of emergency the former military chief imposed to secure another election last autumn.
That move prompted his party's electoral defeat in February's poll, ultimately leading to his recent decision to quit. The election to find his replacement is set to take place on September 6th.
"It's fair to say Pakistan is entering uncharted waters," Farzana Shaikh of Chatham House told inthenews.co.uk.
Kristina Kazmi of research firm Global Insight warned the wave of terrorist violence in Pakistan would remain unsolved while domestic politics remains top of the agenda.
"The security situation is deteriorating and, as long as the coalition is occupied with itself, I think there's little chance of it being able to tackle these problems."