Bhutto’s widower to replace Musharraf as Pakistan’s President

Asif Ali Zardari, Benazir Bhutto's controversial widower and political heir, is poised to become the president of Pakistan tomorrow in an indirect election triggered by Pervez Musharraf's resignation last month.

Mr Zardari appears set to secure a landslide victory after drawing support from a slew of smaller parties and even members of the opposition. "It will be an easy victory?as we have the support of over 400 of about 700," said Farhatullah Babar, a spokesman for Mr Zardari's ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

Related articles

• More Asia articles
• Search the news archive for more stories

Across the Pakistani capital, vast posters bearing the images of Mr Zardari and his slain wife are already celebrating the inevitable triumph. As his excited supporters realise, the occasion marks a remarkable reversal of fortunes for a man who has spent more than 11 years in prison for alleged corruption that earned him the soubriquet "Mr 10%".

While the PPP and its allies insist that Mr Zardari is ideally suited to lead Pakistan, his nomination has sparked widespread criticism. "Mr Zardari's election is hardly the best thing for Pakistan in the circumstances," said Farazana Shaikh of the think tank Chatham House. "In fact, I would be inclined to think that it is the worst thing when it desperately needs some semblance of consensus."

Last month Mr Zardari backtracked on an agreement to reinstate the judges sacked by Mr Musharraf last year. The move wounded his popularity and led to former prime minister Nawaz Sharif withdrawing his support from the coalition government.

"It demonstrated that he is not a man of his word," added Ms Shaikh.

Three deposed judges returned to the Supreme Court today after taking a fresh oath. The move comes a day after the PPP announced that the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will not be reinstated.

As president, Mr Zardari will inherit wide-ranging powers that Mr Musharraf endowed the office with. But his predecessor has also bequeathed the twin challenges of a fast-souring economy and a Taliban insurgency across the north-west that will test his capacity to govern one of the world's most unstable countries.