Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto expects her Pakistan Peoples Party to pick up additional seats in a January election but will have to enter into a coalition to create a ruling majority, The Washington Times reported on Wednesday.
Benazir said joining with the party of Nawaz Sharif, would be possible but ruled out an alliance with those controlled by President Pervez Musharraf, the newspaper reported. "No one will accept a PML-Q victory," she said.
"He has no support in the country," Benazir said in an interview amid a campaign appearance in Mardan. Musharraf said he was ready to cooperate with any party.
"I would like to try to work with anyone who comes to power after the elections," he told Al Jazeera.
She said the only way the president's party will pick up votes is with illegal support from government officials and repeated frequent demand that the elections be carefully supervised, The Washington Times reported. The newspaper said Benazir stressed that both her party and PML-N remain skeptical that the January 8 balloting will be free and fair.