A supreme court stacked with judges loyal to President Pervez Musharraf cleared the way on Thursday for him to rule as a civilian President, throwing out a final challenge to last month’s election. The decision, which was widely expected after Musharraf purged the court of independent-minded judges, means that Pakistan’s Election Commission can put a stamp of approval on the October vote that won Musharraf a five-year-term.The General has said that once he got a court decision in his favour, he would quickly step down as Army Chief and take the oath as President. Pakistani Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum has said such a move could come as early as Saturday.The court decision “means there is no challenge to his eligibility (to serve as President) and to the election,” Qayyum told reporters. He said the court would issue a directive to election authorities on Friday, ordering them to ratify the result. After that, he said, “the President will be free to take the oath” as a civilian President.Immediate reaction from Musharraf’s opposition was muted.Sherry Rehman, a spokesperson for Benazir Bhutto, said she had no immediate comment.An official with a powerful religious coalition, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, said the ruling was “not unexpected,” adding that the important thing is for Musharraf to make good on his promise to quit as Army Chief as soon as possible.A decision by Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party and other opposition groups on whether to participate in parliamentary elections slated for January 8 is seen as a critical test for whether Musharraf can weather the political storm around him. Analysts say that if they boycott the vote, as they have threatened, it will be difficult for him to claim any legitimacy.The case before the court on Thursday centered on a claim by a would-be rival candidate, Zahoor Mehdi, who was blocked by the Election Commission from competing in the vote. He argued the decision was wrong, but the court said his nomination papers were not valid. Five other cases challenging the presidential election were either thrown out or withdrawn on Monday.
