Musharraf Awaiting His Fate

PAKISTAN is preparing to choose a new parliament in an election that could determine the political future of President Pervez Musharraf.

Opposition leaders warned Sunday against massive fraud as Pakistan face perhaps the most crucial voting in its history on Monday.

The election is broadly seen as a referendum on Musharraf's eight years of rule - including his alliance with the United States that many Pakistanis oppose.

An overwhelming victory by the opposition would leave Musharraf politically vulnerable, even at risk of impeachment.

Recent opinion polls show the opposition is poised for a landslide victory. Musharraf himself is not on the ballot. But if the opposition were to win a two-thirds majority in the legislature, it could make good on a pledge to impeach him.

Public opinion surveys have suggested that if the election is fair, the Pakistan People's Party of assassinated former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will finish first, followed by another opposition party led by ex-premier Nawaz Sharif.

The pro-Musharraf party - the Pakistani Muslim League-Q - is trailing a distant third, according to the surveys.

Anti-Musharraf politicians repeated charges Sunday that the government plans to rig the balloting in favor of the ruling party and warned of street protests if the balloting is manipulated.

A series of deadly suicide bombings have left hundreds dead in past weeks, including at least 40 who died Saturday in a suicide car bomb attack against a campaign rally in northwest Pakistan.

More than 470,000 police and soldiers have been deployed throughout the country to guard against further attacks.