Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Musharraf faces call to resign

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- The ruling party of Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf admitted defeat in parliamentary elections Tuesday, and one senior opposition leader said it was time for the president to step down.

Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted from power in Musharraf's bloodless coup in 1999, was one of the winners in Monday's election.

His Pakistan Muslim League-N party was coming second, having won 67 seats, with only a few results still to be confirmed.

Only the Pakistan People's Party of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in the run-up to the elections, won more national assembly seats -- 92 so far.

The Musharraf-allied Pakistan Muslim League-Q had won 38 seats in preliminary results at 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Sharif said: "Musharraf doesn't understand this decision. He has closed his eyes. He has said before that he would go when the people want him to do so and now the people have given their verdict."

Sharif, like Bhutto, returned from exile late last year to compete in the elections

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