Pakistanis Deal Severe Defeat to Musharraf in Election: NYTimes

[spanone]

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistanis dealt a crushing defeat to President Pervez Musharraf in parliamentary elections on Monday, in what government and opposition politicians said was a firm rejection of his policies since 2001 and those of his close ally, the United States.

Almost all the leading figures in the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, the party that has governed for the last five years under Mr. Musharraf, lost their seats, including the leader of the party, the former speaker of Parliament and six ministers.

Official results are expected Tuesday, but early returns indicated that the vote would usher in a prime minister from one of the opposition parties, and opened the prospect of a Parliament that would move to undo many of Mr. Musharraf’s policies and that may even try to remove him.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/world/asia/19pstan.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

on edit: washington posts take on same election

Counting Begins in Pakistan Vote
Early indicators show thin support for Musharraf in some key hubs, but a final tally is days away.
www.washingtonpost.com

[annabanana]

1. From the article

The big swing against the Pakistan Muslim League-Q party that supported Mr. Musharraf appeared to bear out the position of the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee, Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware, who has been a critic of the administration’s Pakistan policy.

On his arrival on Sunday to observe the elections, Mr. Biden said: “I don’t buy into the argument that Musharraf is the only one. We have to have more than just a Musharraf policy.”

As a starting point for a new policy, Mr. Biden said the United States needed to show Pakistanis that Washington was interested in more than the campaign against terrorism. He suggested that economic development aid be tripled to $1.5 billion annually.

But Washington could take some comfort in the losses of the Islamic religious parties in the North-West Frontier Province that abut the tribal areas where the Taliban and Al Qaeda have carved out bases.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "Oh shit." - Commander AWOL

"He was one of my favorite fascist cronies."

- Commander AWOL

[spanone]

3. he was juniors' favorite dick tator

[tekisui]

4. Mushy's Impeachment is just around the corner.

[Bruce McAuley]

5. On to the Greatest...

We should be doing the same here, but money talks.

Bruce