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Bhutto's Widower Will Run For President

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The Washington Post

Published: August 24, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The widower of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto said Saturday that he will run for the presidency, reviving questions about his cloudy political past and the future of the U.S. alliance with Pakistan.

The decision by Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the largest party in Pakistan's ruling coalition government, comes nearly a week after Pervez Musharraf stepped down from the presidency rather than face impeachment. Zardari received a unanimous vote of support from his party Friday.

Known for years as "Mr. 10 Percent" for his conviction on corruption charges in the 1990s, Zardari became an unlikely hero for his party when he took the helm after Bhutto's assassination on Dec. 27. He then helped the party win a sweeping victory in national parliamentary elections in February.

Zardari, 52, had hinted two weeks ago that he might not run for president, suggesting instead that his Pakistan People's Party might support a woman for the post.

Zardari did not appear in public to announce his candidacy Saturday. Instead, senior party members broadcast his decision at a news conference at his home in the capital city of Islamabad.

Raza Rabbani, a senior Pakistan People's Party official, said the party expects Zardari to win the presidency when Parliament votes on Musharraf's replacement Sept. 6.

Rabbani called Zardari's leadership "commendable" and praised him for helping to form the ruling coalition government.

Zardari's ascendancy appeared far from certain, as signs of cracks in the coalition emerged last week.

Zardari, who served several years in prison in Pakistan on corruption charges, is facing money-laundering charges in Switzerland. Under a deal reached with Musharraf last year, however, Zardari was essentially granted amnesty from further prosecution in Pakistan on corruption charges. Zardari was also acquitted in the murder of Bhutto's brother in 1996.

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