 PakistanÂ’s Gen. Pervez Musharraf was elected to a third presidential term Saturday, winning a majority of the votes cast by lawmakers amid protests from opposition parties who called his candidacy unconstitutional.
| Dictators are kinda unconstitutional by definition, but given statements of some of the louder elements of the the Pakistained opposition I find the sentiment laughable. |
The Supreme Court could choose to rule Musharraf, who came to power following a bloodless coup in October 1999, ineligible to hold office. On Friday, the court barred the Election Commission from officially declaring a winner.
| I just can't stand the suspense... |
Musharraf got 252 of the 257 votes cast in the national assembly and Senate. His key rival, retired Supreme Court justice Wajihuddin Ahmad, won less than a handful.
I count five left after Perv got his votes. I'd call that "a handful." Since Wajihuddin get less than a handful, I'd guess he didn't get all five.
UPDATE: Called that one. Three votes for Wajihuddin. |
Media reports from the countryÂ’s four provinces said Musharraf won the majority of votes cast there as well. "The results show the people want continuity, stability and economic growth," Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told Pakistan Television.
| Oh, sure. When it comes to stability, Perv's your man. Really. |
Aziz is a member of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Quaid-e-Azam that extended support to Musharraf, along with its allies, in SaturdayÂ’s polls.
| Comes as a surprise, dunnit? |
A court hearing on MusharrafÂ’s eligibility resumes Oct. 17. The bench is thought likely to rule in MusharrafÂ’s favor, amid speculation that he will impose martial law if he loses the court battle.
| Now, you just know that the guy who wrote this typed that sentence, turned away from his machine, and laughed his ass off. You simply cannot write that sort of stuff with a straight face. |
|
