IV.

Hold on Power

In April 2002 Musharraf called for a referendum to affirm his seizure of the presidency and to formally extend his term in office for another five years. Musharraf claimed a huge victory in the referendum, which was held the next month, but his opponents challenged the fairness of the vote. In a further move to consolidate his position ahead of the scheduled return to democracy, Musharraf changed the constitution to give the president the power to appoint and remove the prime minister and to dismiss an elected parliament. At the same time Musharraf announced the formation of a National Security Council, headed by the president and including members of the military and an opposition leader, to monitor the performance of future governments. In all, Musharraf unilaterally imposed 29 amendments to the constitution.

The October 2002 elections for the National Assembly gave the greatest number of seats to pro-Musharraf parties, although a higher than expected number of anti-American Islamic candidates also won election. The parliamentary opposition expressed hostility to Musharraf’s continued hold on the position of chief of army staff. In a compromise agreement, the parliament approved a constitutional amendment in December 2003 that ratified most of the powers Musharraf sought. The parliament also agreed to extend Musharraf’s term to 2007. In exchange, Musharraf agreed to step down as army chief by the end of 2004 and promised that the parliament would serve out its five-year term. However, in late 2004 the predominantly pro-Musharraf parliament passed a bill that allowed Musharraf to keep his position as chief of the army through the end of his presidential term in 2007.

Musharraf retained his military title as he stood for reelection, easily winning a second presidential term in October 2007. The Supreme Court of Pakistan agreed to hear challenges to the legality of Musharraf’s reelection. In early November, prior to the court’s ruling on the issue, Musharraf declared emergency rule and suspended the constitution.

Musharraf resigned his military post in late November 2007 and was formally inaugurated as a civilian president. He lifted the state of emergency in mid-December. Parties loyal to Musharraf suffered a crushing defeat in the parliamentary elections held in February 2008.