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An indirect presidential election was held in Pakistan on 6 October 2007.[1]
This was before dissolution of parliament for the following general election to
be held in 2008.[2] The Pakistani legislature elected incumbent Pervez Musharraf
by an overwhelming majority. The near-unanimous nature of Musharraf's victory
was made possible by the absence of two key political opposition leaders, Nawaz
Sharif and Benazir Bhutto. Nawaz Sharif had attempted to return to Pakistan
before the election but was deported back into exile by the ruling government
because of a gross violation of the agreement he had signed with the current
regime to stay out of Pakistan and its politics for a period of ten years.
Benazir Bhutto had also announced her intention to return to Pakistan for the
elections but ultimately decided not to do so. It was widely assumed that her
decision was the result of an arrangement she made with Musharraf.
Candidates
Wajihuddin Ahmed has filed his candidacy to stand for a group of lawyers
opposed to Musharraf,[3] while the Pakistan Peoples Party fielded its vice
president Makhdoom Amin Fahim as a candidate, though he stated he would withdraw
his candidacy if Musharraf were approved as a candidate. The Supreme Court
decided on 28 September 2007 that Musharraf could stand in the election.[4] On
29 September 2007, the Election Commission scrutinised the nomination papers of
all 43 candidates.[5] Musharraf and both of his major opponents (Ahmed and Fahim)
were approved, along with three others;[6] the official list of candidates was
announced to be publicised on 1 October 2007.[7]
On 1 October 2007, a final list of five candidates was announced:
* Pervez Musharraf, the incumbent, for the Pakistan Muslim League (Q);
* Wajihuddin Ahmed, a former Supreme Court judge, for an association of lawyers
opposed to Musharraf;
* Makhdoom Amin Fahim for the Pakistan Peoples Party;
* Muhammad Mian Soomro, chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, as Musharraf's
backup candidate;
* Faryal Talpur, deputy mayor of the southern city of Nawabshah, as Fahim's
backup candidate.
Results
Musharraf overwhelmingly won the election on October 6, though the opposition
had boycotted the election and other candidates withdrew from the election. 80
opposition party members had resigned from parliament, protesting that Musharraf
was running for re-election while remaining head of the army. The Pakistan
Peoples Party, led by Benazir Bhutto, only abstained from the vote -- a move
that prevented the vote from being invalid. In the National parliaments,
Musharraf received 252 votes, against Wajihuddin Ahmed's two votes and the
results from the provincial parliaments were similar.[9]
Complete results were announced only 80 minutes after the five-hours-long
voting process had been finished, with 685 of the 1,170 eligible lawmakers
participating. The results were:[10]
* Pervez Musharraf: 671 votes
* Wajihuddin Ahmed: 8 votes
* Invalid: 6 votes
The Supreme Court rejected all challenges to the legality of the election,
with the last ruling made on 2007-11-22.[11]
International reaction
International reaction to the election has been mixed, with commentators
praising the fact that Pakistan is moving in the direction of democracy but
critics pointing out that, among other factors, the boycotting of the election
puts its results into doubt. The George W. Bush administration has long
supported Musharraf's administration for maintaining stability but expressed a
concern that all parties need to take part in order for an election to be truly
democratic.
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