PPP Wants Premier Zardari

Zardari will have to overcome some major constitutional obstacles to be able to serve as prime minister. (Reuters)

"A majority of the Central Executive Committee members recommended today that the office of the prime minister should be held by Zardari," a senior PPP leader told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, March 11.

The PPP won 87 of the announced 262 seats in the national assembly followed by the Pakistan Muslim League (N) of former premier Nawaz Sharif with 67 seats.  

After inclusion of reserved seats for women and minorities, their shares in the 342-member lower house stand at 125 and 90 respectively.

The two parties have signed an agreement to join a federal coalition government to be led by a PPP prime minister.

But the PPP has been unable so far to agree on a candidate.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim, the PPP senior vice-chairman and a close confidant of Bhutto, was originally the frontrunner.

Zardari's refusal to nominate Fahim for the prestigious post has created a crisis within the PPP, leaving the party divided over the nomination.

Other names have since emerged including Makhdoom Yousaf Raza Gilani, a former Punjab national assembly speaker and Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the PPP Punjab president, and Chaudry Ahmed Mukhtar.

The PPP leader insists it will be in the best interest of the party if Zardari holds the offices of the premier and the party's co-chairman simultaneously.

"Zardari is the best candidate for the post of prime minister. Secondly, a majority of the CEC members wants to see him as prime minister."

Zardari has not yet responded to the recommendation.

Planned

Senior party leaders believe the nomination is the best solution to the PPP divisions.

"We have decided to resolve the dispute once and for all," another senior leader told IOL.

"That's why we have recommended Zardari to run the government so that all the four aspirants do not have any objections."

He says that all the four aspirants were engaged in pulling each others' legs to clinch the post resulting in differences within party ranks.

"I'm 95 percent sure that Zardari will accept this recommendation. Otherwise, the party may face a split over this dispute."

A third PPP leader believes the entire episode was planned by Zardari himself.

"He has always been keen to sit in the prime minister office, though he has denied this many times," he told IOL.

"But, being a patient and clever politician, he never expressed his wish. He very tactfully engaged the four aspirants in a blame game, and presented himself as a consensus candidate," added the PPP leader.

"Now, he can safely say that he has been compelled to hold the prime minister office by the party's internal rifts."

Obstacles

But Zardari will have to overcome some major constitutional obstacles to be able to serve as prime minister.

According to the constitution, only a member of the national assembly can be the candidate for the post of prime minister.

Zardari, who did not contest in the February elections, need to get elected in a by-elections to qualify for the key slot.

By-elections are scheduled to be held after the election of the prime minister, therefore he has to wait for a few months.

The second obstacle is that a candidate must posses a bachelor degree to contest in the elections, which Zardari does not seem to have.

"I'm not sure whether or not he posses a bachelor degree, but even if he doesn't, the parliament can amend this clause, and he can contest the by-polls," a senior PPP leader told IOL.

The third major obstacle is several corruption cases against Zardari, including a money laundering case being heard in a Swiss court.

"Though most of the cases against him have been withdrawn under the national reconciliation ordinance, two cases in Pakistani courts and one in a Swiss court are still pending, which may be a hurdle in implementation of his plans."