Zardari to take oath tomorrow

ISLAMABAD (Agencies) – Asif Ali Zardari will be sworn in as president of Pakistan on Tuesday, succeeding Pervez Musharraf who resigned last month under threat of impeachment, an official told AFP.
“The programme for oath-taking has been finalised. It will be held on Tuesday,” said Farhatullah Babar, spokesman for Zardari’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Zardari, the widower of slain former premier Benazir Bhutto, won more than two-thirds of the vote among lawmakers in a presidential election Saturday.
Meanwhile, President-elect Asif Zardari terming his election as victory of democracy has stated that parliament will be strengthened and empowered.
“I feel democracy has been vindicated”, Asif Ali Zardari told CNN.
“I feel we are coming closer to her [Benazir Bhutto’s] mission of total democracy in Pakistan. And we shall take the oath of office of President in the name of Shaheed Benazir Bhutto, and that will be a
momentous occasion for all democratic forces in the world”, he added. In response to a question about the challenges facing the country, the President-elect said “challenges are many but these are mostly for the Prime Minister and the government.”
President-elect when asked if he would be handing over many of his power to him (the Prime Minister) said, “I intend to. I shall hand over all the powers that the parliament desires.”