Bhutto’s Party Ahead In Pakistan Elections

While this site is primarily concerned with the current US elections, elections in other countries in the world are also of great importance. One such election is currently taking place in Pakistan.

CNN is reporting this morning that:

“One day after a pivotal vote that will determine Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf’s political viability, early returns on Tuesday showed gains for the opposition parties of former Prime Ministers Nawaz Sharif and the slain Benazir Bhutto.”

“Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N secured 21 of the National Assembly’s 268 seats, while Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) gained 18.”

“By contrast, Musharraf’s Pakistan Muslim League-Q won only five seats. But more votes remained to be tallied; as of 7 a.m. (0200 GMT), only 68 races had been decided.”

This is pretty important since if either of the two opposition parties win 2/3 of the seats in the Pakistani parliament, or if the two parties combined get 2/3 of the seats and form a coalition, they could begin the process of impeaching President Musharraf. Musharraf has been under fire for declaring martial law in Pakistan, and many in Pakistan believe he and his government were behind the December assassination of Benizir Bhutto who, after returning from exile, was running a campaign against Musharraf at the time of her assassination.