Musharraf to give up army post: Lawyer

[Heidi]

Source: NDTV

Associated Press
Tuesday, September 18, 2007 (Islamabad)

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf will resign as army chief if he wins re-election as president, a government lawyer said on Tuesday.

The announcement made in the Supreme Court was the first clear official statement that Pakistan's military leader plans to contest the upcoming election while in uniform, then relinquish it afterward.

Musharraf, who took power in a military coup in 1999 and has seen his popularity slide in recent months after a failed attempt to sack Pakistan's top judge, currently holds the office of both president and army chief. He is under growing pressure to stand down from the army post, the main source of his power.

<snip>

''If elected for the second term as president, General Pervez Musharraf shall relinquish charge of the office of the chief of army staff soon after election, but before taking oath of office of the president of Pakistan for the next term,'' government attorney Sharifuddin Pirzada Pirzada said.

<snip>

On Monday, the Election Commission announced a rule change that apparently opened the way for the general to seek a new presidential term without resigning first as army chief, a move condemned by the opposition as a brazen violation of the Constitution.

Read more: http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070026478

[Demeter]

1. At Least the System Works SOMEWHERE!

Politics: with emphasis on the Tick part.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. I can't see this as 'the system working'

Remember, Musharraf is in power as a result of a coup. This is him trying to retain power - if he doesn't manage to win his first proper election, then he's going to keep control of the army. This is more like "become a dictator, change the rules to suit you, and then claim you're a democrat after all".

[Demeter]

3. Pakistan has gotten farther than the US in dealing with the dictator problem