Bhutto's Widower Declares Pakistani Presidential Bid

Party Leader's Past Remains an Issue

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 23 -- 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. Top female candidates included Faryal Talpur, Zardari's sister and a member of Parliament, and Fehmida Mirza, the newly appointed speaker of Pakistan's National Assembly.

By Thursday, however, Talpur appeared to be out of the running, leaving Mirza, a longtime friend of Bhutto's who bears a striking resemblance to her. Hours before Zardari's announcement, speculation was high that the party would back her.

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 government emerged this week.

Shortly after Musharraf stepped down, Zardari and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of the other party in the ruling coalition, vowed to reinstate Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and dozens of judges deposed last year under Musharraf's government.

But since signing an agreement to restore the judges, Zardari and Sharif have been locked in a political tug of war over which judges to reinstall.

Sharif has pressed hard for Chaudhry's reinstatement. But analysts say Chaudhry, who earned a reputation for challenging corruption, could use his power to renew corruption charges against Zardari if the chief justice is allowed to return to the bench.

Sharif has set and reset deadlines for the judges' reinstatement, saying his Pakistan Muslim League-N faction will pull out of the coalition government if the judiciary is not fully restored.

Chaudhry's suspension and then ouster ignited a wave of protests across the country and fueled the rise of a powerful opposition to Musharraf. The push to reinstate Chaudhry and the others created a groundswell of support for Sharif, who became a vehement advocate for the judges' restoration. The movement helped Sharif's party win the second-largest number of seats in Parliament.

Pakistan People's Party members deny there is a rift in the coalition over the judges. On Saturday, several members of both parties said they expect Parliament to pass a resolution calling for the restoration of the judges within days.

Zardari, who served several years in prison in Pakistan on corruption charges, is currently facing money-laundering charges in Switzerland. But under a deal reached with Musharraf last year, 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.

Special correspondent Shaiq Hussain contributed to this report.