Musharraf rules out resignation

The party of Nawaz Sharif (centre) is in second place

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, says he has no plans to resign, despite a sweeping victory by the opposition in the country's parliamentary elections.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Mr Musharraf said there was a need to move forward to help bring about a stable democratic government in Pakistan.

Meanwhile the party of late former PM Benazir Bhutto says it is ready to form a coalition with Nawaz Sharif's PML-N.

The main party backing President Musharraf suffered a heavy defeat.

A union of Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) with the PML-N of another former PM, Nawaz Sharif, would have more than half parliament's seats.

The president's position has never looked more precarious, the BBC's Chris Morris in Islamabad says.

If a new governing coalition manages to muster a two-thirds majority in parliament, it could call for Mr Musharraf to be impeached.

NATIONAL RESULTS SO FAR PPP (Bhutto's party) : 87 PML-N (Nawaz Sharif): 66 PML-Q: (pro-Musharraf) 39 MQM (Sindh-based): 19 ANP (Secular Pashtuns): 10 MMA (Islamic alliance): 3 Others: 34 Source: Election commission

But Mr Musharraf said that he would try to work with any new government.

"I would like to function with any party and any coalition because that is in the interest of Pakistan," he told the Wall Street Journal.

"The clash would be if the prime minister and president would be trying to get rid of each other. I only hope we would avoid these clashes," the president added.

Mr Musharraf was re-elected to the presidency last October, in a vote boycotted by the opposition as unconstitutional.

He has been a major US ally in the "war on terror" but his popularity has waned at home amid accusations of authoritarianism and incompetence.

The US State Department described Monday's election as a "step toward the full restoration of democracy".

'End of dictatorship'

At a press conference on Tuesday, Ms Bhutto's widower and the PPP leader, Asif Ali Zardari, said his party would "form a government of national consensus which will take along every democratic force".

"For now, the decision of the party is that we are not interested in any of those people who are part and parcel of the last government," he said, seemingly ruling out any coalition with the Pakistan Muslim League's pro-Musharraf wing, the PML-Q.

With votes counted in 258 out of 272 constituencies, the PPP has won 87 seats, according to the Election Commission of Pakistan.

PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari invited Mr Sharif to join a coalition

The PML-N, or Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz, is in second place with 66 seats so far.

Mr Sharif said earlier on Tuesday that he was prepared to discuss joining a coalition with Mr Zardari's party in order "to rid Pakistan of dictatorship forever".

The two parties so far have a combined total of 153 seats in the 272-seat parliament.

President Pervez Musharraf main parliamentary ally, the PML-Q, has already admitted defeat.

The party has come a distant third, with 39 seats so far.

PML-Q chairman, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, told Associated Press Television News his party accepted the results "with an open heart" and was prepared to "sit on opposition benches".

Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a bloodless coup in 1999, stepped down as army chief last year, at the urging of his foreign allies.

The parliamentary election has been seen as a key milestone in Pakistan's transition from military to civilian rule.

The election was preceded by months of violence, including the suicide attack that killed PPP leader, Ms Bhutto, in December.

The poll was initially scheduled for early January but was delayed after her assassination.

Pakistan's military has been trying to contain a Taleban-influenced Islamist insurgency along the country's rugged frontier with Afghanistan.

Musharraf party 'lagging in poll'

The gunfire in Karachi on Monday night was celebratory

Pakistani opposition parties are well ahead in the country's elections, President Musharraf's allies say.

The ruling PML-Q would be consigned to the opposition if provisional results - from more than half of seats - were confirmed, said spokesman Tariq Azeem.

Supporters of opposition parties including Nawaz Sharif's PML-N and the PPP of the late Benazir Bhutto have been celebrating in the streets.

Mr Musharraf insists he will accept the result, regardless of who wins.

He is not standing in the parliamentary election himself, but a clear defeat of his supporters could herald struggles over his presidency, analysts suggest.

The poll took place on Monday, having been delayed following Ms Bhutto's assassination on 27 December.

High-profile victims

Unofficial and provisional results showed big gains for Mr Sharif and Ms Bhutto's parties.

The latest figures appeared to give both parties about 30% of the vote and more than 50 seats each, with Ms Bhutto's party slightly ahead.

The PML-Q was trailing a distant third, while smaller parties and independents also picked up seats.

Whosoever wins we should accept it - that includes myself President Musharraf

"If the results are confirmed we will play the part of the opposition as effectively as we can," Mr Azeem told the AFP news agency.

Most official counts will not be declared until later on Tuesday.

But high-profile victims of the poll were reported to include party president Chaudry Shujaat Hussain and his close ally, Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid.

They were among the PML-Q losses in Punjab, the country's most populous province and a key electoral battleground.

Pakistani newspapers spoke of a "rout" of Mr Musharraf's allies, with The News proclaiming: "Democracy takes revenge."

"The result will be the voice of the nation and whosoever wins we should accept it - that includes myself," said Mr Musharraf.

Turnout

Celebrations were continuing in the streets of cities including Lahore, Rapalwindi and Karachi as news of early results trickled out.

At least 20 people are reported to have died in election-day violence, with the PPP reporting 15 of its members killed.

Most counts will be completed by Tuesday morning

There were also reports of missing ballot boxes.

But there was also widespread relief that there were none of the major bomb attacks which had marred the run-up to the election.

Fears of violence had dissuaded many of the country's 80 million eligible voters from leaving their homes, and voter turnout was estimated to be less than 40%. Close to half a million security personnel, including about 80,000 soldiers, had been deployed to quell any outbreak of fighting.

The wait for news of the next government is the start of fresh uncertainty in Pakistan, says the BBC's Jill McGivering in Karachi.

Even once the election results are clear, there will still be plenty of behind-the-scenes bargaining to come, she says.

Future in the balance

Polls suggest a fair vote is likely to result in a hung parliament, with none of the three biggest parties winning a majority, analysts suggest.

Attention will then turn on the PPP, and whether it chooses to join forces with pro-Musharraf parties, or with Mr Sharif's party.

Mr Sharif is staunchly opposed to the president, and if the two opposition parties jointly gain two-thirds of the seats, they may try to impeach Mr Musharraf, correspondents say.

Mr Musharraf stepped down as army chief late last year. He has ruled the country since seizing power in a coup in 1999.