Musharraf to Remain President into 2007

ISLAMABAD,
Pakistan, Jan. 1 -Gen. Pervez Musharraf won a vote of confidence on
Thursday from Pakistan’s electoral college, allowing him legally
to remain president into 2007. The vote completes General Musharraf’s
transformation from a military dictator who took power in a bloodless
coup in 1999 to a constitutionally legitimate president.

General Musharraf won just over 60 percent of the vote in the
electoral college, which consists of Parliament and the country’s four
provincial assemblies. His support largely came from the governing coalition.
Most opposition parties abstained from or boycotted the vote to protest
his policies or his retaining unelected power.

Whatever happened to supporting governments and strongmen who shared our Democratic Ideals? This guy has never won a real election in his life, and Pakistan used
to have pretty decent and fair elections not too many years ago, before
the Military took over. The Dowbrigade is not sure Musharaf deserves our
support, but certainly our sympathy. His odds of remaining President
into 2007 are about the same as Al Sharpton’s of doing the same.

from the
New York Times