Pakistan parliament to convene on Nov 8
2002-11-02 16:11
Islamabad - President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday announced Pakistan's first parliament in three years will convene November 8, ending a tense three-week wait since polls held to restore civilian rule.
"The president has summoned the newly-elected national assembly to meet on Friday, November 8," government spokesperson Akram Shaheedi said.
A presidential order said MPs elected on October 10 would take an oath Friday, after which the process to elect a prime minister and parliamentary speaker "will be set in motion".
A prime minister is to be elected by the MPs through a show of
hands within a few days of the assembly's swearing-in.
Pakistan has been in limbo since the elections, with no single
party winning enough seats to form the federal government
independently, and none of the parties able to agree on a governing
coalition.
The elections were supposed to return government to civilians
after three years of military rule under General Musharraf, the
army chief who seized power in an October 1999 coup.
The pro-Musharraf Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) looks
certain to sit in government, but its efforts to forge a coalition
with the Islamic party alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) have
yet to succeed.
The opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of banned
ex-premier Benazir Bhutto has held talks with PML-Q on joining it
in government, but the two parties are divided over constitutional
amendments by Musharraf.
Major parties had urged Musharraf twice in the past week to name
a date for the convening of parliament, as alarm grew at the delay
in the transfer of power.
Musharraf had pledged on voting day to hand over power to the
new prime minister around November 1.
He said Thursday he was only waiting for the finalisation of 70
of the 342 seats reserved for women and minorities.
The Election Commission finalised the last reserved seats on
Friday, putting the PML-Q in front with 103 seats, followed by the
PPP with 80 seats and the MMA on 59 seats. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA