Anti-Musharraf parliament is inaugurated

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A new parliament dominated by opponents of President Pervez Musharraf was inaugurated yesterday, ushering in what probably will be a concerted effort by the victorious opposition to curtail the near-total powers the Pakistani leader once held.

The buoyant atmosphere, however, was dimmed by signs of potential disarray within the newly ascendant coalition formed by the two main opposition parties after they swept last month's parliamentary elections.

The party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, which won the largest share of seats, has yet to put forth a candidate for prime minister. The delay comes amid signs of a power struggle between the expected candidate, an uncharismatic but respected party stalwart, and Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari.

Zardari, who said earlier that he would lead the party from the sidelines without holding office, has signaled in recent days that he may seek the top political post for himself. First, he would have to win a by-election to meet the requirement that the prime minister be a member of parliament.

Because neither is a lawmaker, Zardari and the other main opposition leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, watched yesterday's swearing-in ceremony from the visitors' gallery.

Despite looming internal discord, the swearing in of the new parliament was a moment to savor for those who have long sought to dislodge Musharraf, a former general who seized power in a 1999 coup and went on to become a crucial U.S. ally in the fight against the Taliban.

The first session of the 342-member National Assembly convened at Pakistan's gleaming white parliament house amid tight security, two days after a deadly bomb attack on a popular restaurant in the center of the capital.

Sharpshooters with rifles at the ready stood atop almost every corner of the massive modern government building as a parade of black-and-silver bulletproof sport-utility vehicles deposited parliament members and Pakistani luminaries at the crowded entrance.

Although brief, the session provided opponents with the opportunity to take symbolic but stinging slaps at Musharraf, who was not present.

Lawmaker Ahsan Iqbal, a senior leader of Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N party, read into the parliamentary record a statement declaring that the elections represented the public's repudiation of the coup under which Musharraf came to power.

Although in a position to challenge Musharraf's authority, the new coalition does not have unfettered powers. It holds a solid majority in the lower house of parliament that was sworn in yesterday. But in order to impeach Musharraf or make constitutional changes, it would need to muster a two-thirds vote in the upper house as well as the lower one. It does not have the seats for that.

As president, Musharraf retains the power to dissolve parliament. Opponents have declared their intention to strip him of that authority, but the mechanism for doing so is not entirely clear.

The coalition has put itself under heavy additional pressure by pledging that within 30 days it will reinstate judges fired by Musharraf during emergency rule. Zardari and Sharif say they intend to do that via a resolution passed by a simple parliamentary majority, but some constitutional experts question whether such a step would be legally valid.