Anti-American
Campaigning on a strong anti-American
platform, that called for an end to Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led
war on terror in Afghanistan, the coalition of six hard-line parties had
a clear majority in Pakistan's North West Province legislature, the election
commission said.
The religious parties were also doing better
than expected in the southern port city of Karachi and in the southern
part of Punjab province amid a strong undercurrent of resentment over the
U.S. war in Afghanistan.
In the legislature of the North West Province
the religious coalition of the United Action Forum have gained control
of 50 of the 99 available seats, provincial officials reported.
Thus far however official results have only confirmed 31 seats to the
religious coalition of the 53 declared districts.
Elsewhere, the race appeared close, in line with pre-election opinion
polls.
Sporadic violence during voting left seven people dead, as the military
government hailed the elections as a historic return to democracy.
More than 64,000 polling booths serviced an eligible voting population
of about 72 million across the South Asian nation Thursday before election
officials faced the arduous task of collating the votes.
The elections will determine a new prime minister and government, but
one that will remain subordinate to the military leadership of President
Pervez Musharraf.
Nearly 100 parties were contesting the elections, but when all the votes
are counted, the election is expected to come down to a race between former
prime minister Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party and a coalition
of parties considered supportive of Musharraf.
"He is highly unpopular," Bhutto said of the president Thursday "because
people in our country blame the military for destabilizing civilian government."
Military power
Human rights and opposition groups accuse the president of trying to
limit the competition, and of trying to control the voting process to maintain
his grip on power.
His decision to block Bhutto's return to the country, and a series of
constitutional amendments enhancing his powers ahead of the poll, has convinced
many Pakistani critics that Musharraf intends to remain the real power
behind a mask of civilian rule.
On Wednesday the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch issued a stinging attack
on Musharraf's pre-election record saying: "In the three years since the
coup, Pakistan has witnessed a consolidation of military power rather than
a transition to democracy.
The United States has been slow to mention the controversial build-up
to the election, recognizing Musharraf as a key ally in the military campaign
against the Taliban and al Qaeda network in neighboring Afghanistan.
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