Pakistan's voting results to be frozen, court rules

By Laura King

October 6, 2007

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The Pakistani Supreme Court threw a last-minute wrench into President Pervez Musharraf's re-election plans yesterday, ruling that the vote could take place today as scheduled but that results would be frozen until the justices decided on his eligibility to run while serving as army chief.

Meanwhile, a political alliance between Musharraf and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto moved closer to fruition as the president signed into law an amnesty for Bhutto on corruption charges. That paves the way for her return this month to lead her party in parliamentary elections expected by early next year.

The highly unusual court ruling, the latest twist in months of legal wrangling over how and whether Pakistan should move toward civilian rule, appeared to catch both sides by surprise.

Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed challenges to Musharraf's re-election bid on largely technical grounds. Yesterday's ruling, though, opens the door to a fuller examination of whether the constitution prohibits Musharraf, as chief of the army, from claiming another five-year term as president.

The Pakistani leader has promised to step down as head of the military in the next five weeks - but only if he is re-elected as president.

Even Musharraf's opponents concede that he has the votes he needs to easily win today's election. The vote will be held by an electoral college made up of members of national and provincial assemblies, which his party dominates. But the decision by the 10-member judicial panel puts that expected victory on hold.

"We did not achieve all we had hoped for, but now [Musharraf] has this sword hanging over his head," said Latif Khosa, who represented opposition candidate Makhdoom Amin Fahim, an aide to Bhutto, in the court proceedings.

Laura King writes for the Los Angeles Times.