Asif Ali Zardari, the controversial widower of Benazir Bhutto, is poised to become Pakistan's new president today when lawmakers elect a successor to Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month under threat of impeachment.

The expected result is an amazing reversal of fortune for the 53-year-old polo-loving politician, who spent more than a decade in prison on murder, corruption and other criminal charges.

With the economy in crisis and Islamic militants gaining ground, analysts say that it bodes ill for the political stability of the country of 164 million people that is the United States' main Muslim ally in the War on Terror.

“In a country which has seen its share of wonders, this must rank among the greatest of them all,” said Ayaz Amir, a Member of Parliament from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) party.

Mr Zardari was thrust to the centre stage of Pakistani politics when his wife, a charismatic former Prime Minister, was assassinated in December.

Since then he has led her Pakistan People's Party (PPP) to victory in parliamentary elections and worked with former political foes to force Mr Musharraf to resign.

With hefty support in the national Parliament and four provincial assemblies that make up the electoral college for the presidential election, Mr Zardari has a clear edge over his rivals. The other candidates are Saeeduz Zaman Siddique, a retired judge, and Mushahid Hussain, a leader of the party that supported Mr Musharraf.

However, Mr Zardari's public image is severely tainted by the fortune that he allegedly amassed from kickbacks on government deals during his wife's two stints as Prime Minister. Nicknamed “Mr Ten Per cent”, he is alleged to to have stashed $100 million (£56 million) in foreign bank accounts and properties in different countries.

Many of the cases against him were set aside under an amnesty granted by Mr Musharraf last year in a power-sharing deal with Ms Bhutto. New questions over his wealth arose last month when Swiss authorities dropped a money-laundering case against him, on the request of the Pakistani Government, leading to the release of $60 million of his funds.

“Mr Zardari has an image problem, because of a lingering reputation of corruption, despite not having been convicted of any wrongdoing. He will need to change this image,” says Shafqat Mahmood, a former associate of Ms Bhutto.

Mr Zardari says that his election as president would herald a new era of stable, civilian, democratic government. “Returning Pakistan's presidency to democratic governance is a huge step in our country's transition from dictatorship to democracy,” he wrote in a recent newspaper article.However, many politicians and government officials are concerned that Mr Zardari will wield the same powers that Mr Musharraf did at the height of his military-backed rule.

He will be the supreme commander of Pakistan's armed forces and custodian of its nuclear programe, and with a loyalist as Prime Minister and the PPP controlling three of the four state governments, some fear he could turn into a civilian autocrat.

There are also concerns about his ability to handle Pakistan's economic problems, including soaring food and fuel prices, a weakening rupee and falling foreign exchange reserves.

Past rulers

— Muhammad Ali Jinnah Died from tuberculosis 1948

— Liaquat Ali Khan Assassinated 1951

— Sikandar Mirza Overthrown 1958 General Ayub Khan Retired 1969

— General Yahya Khan Stepped down after Indo-Pakistani War 1971

— Zulfikar Ali Bhutto President from 1971 to 1973. Became Prime Minister. Toppled in military coup 1977. Hanged

— General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq Declared Martial Law Administrator. Died in plane crash 1988

— Ghulam Ishaq Khan Resigned under pressure from military 1993

— Wasim Sajjad Lost 1993 elections

— Farooq Leghari Forced out 1997

— Muhammad Rafiq Tarar Elected 1997 until 2001 when General Musharraf assumed presidency

— General Musharraf Forced out after opponents won elections in February. Announced resignation in August

Source: www.pakistan.gov.pk

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