The Food Chain: Musharaff -->NSC-->Parliament & Executive Branch
Extract from NYT
A veteran Western diplomat here said that with the referendum, General Musharraf had opened the campaign for the elections in October, elections that will determine not only the country's future, but General Musharraf's fate.
"The real game begins now," the diplomat said.
He will need a two-thirds majority of the new Parliament to approve any constitutional amendments he wants as part of his political changes, such as giving women 17 percent of the seats, and setting up a national security council of military officers and civilians that will have oversight of the Parliament and the executive branch.
He also needs two-thirds of the Parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution for the 1999 coup. Otherwise he could be subjected to a treason trial.
"It's going to be a dirty game, between now and October," the diplomat said. After October, General Musharraf will be president and chief of staff of the armed forces. "I am going to relax and play tennis and golf," he said.
The prime minister, elected by the Parliament, will have the power to run the country, he said, "but I will not allow him to run it badly." |
