By Zeeshan Haider
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The main party that backs PakistaniPresident Pervez Musharraf was headed for defeat on Tuesdayafter voters rallied to the opposition, raising questions aboutthe future of the U.S. ally who has ruled since 1999.
As president, former army chief Musharraf did not contestMonday's parliamentary elections aimed at completing atransition to civilian rule, but the outcome could seal hisfate.
A hostile parliament could try to remove Musharraf, whotook power as a general in a 1999 coup and emerged as a crucialU.S. ally in a "war on terror" that most Pakistanis think isWashington's, not theirs.
The election was relatively peaceful after a bloodycampaign and opposition fears of rampant rigging by Musharraf'ssupporters appeared unfounded.
The election was postponed from January 8 after theassassination of former prime minister and opposition leaderBenazir Bhutto in a suicide attack on December 27.
The death of Bhutto, the most progressive, Western-friendlypolitician in a Muslim nation rife with anti-Americansentiment, raised concern about the stability of thenuclear-armed country.
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) has been expected toreap a sympathy vote after her murder but some analysts saidthe decisive factor in the election was Musharraf.
In a major blow for the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) whichbacks Musharraf, its president, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, aformer prime minister, was defeated in his Punjab provinceconstituency by a rival from Bhutto's party, televisionnetworks said, citing unofficial Election Commission tallies.
Several other prominent PML members, including ministers inMusharraf's outgoing government, lost their seats, televisionstations reported.
"The PML could not save itself from Musharraf'sunpopularity," newspaper editor Mjeeb-ur-Rehman told GeoTelevision.
Musharraf's ratings have plunged over the past year,particularly after he imposed six weeks of emergency rule andpurged the judiciary.
Many Pakistanis also blame him and his PML-led governmentfor rising prices, food shortages and power cuts.
Full unofficial election results are expected later onTuesday.
"ACCEPT THE RESULTS"
Musharraf said on Monday he would work with whoever won tobuild democracy in a country that has alternated betweencivilian and army rule throughout its 60-year history.
"This is the voice of the nation," Musharraf said onstate-run Pakistan Television late on Monday. "Everyone shouldaccept the results, that includes myself."
Fear kept many Pakistanis away from the polls, despite80,000 troops backing up police, and turnout is expected to beabout 40 percent.
A suicide bomb campaign waged by al Qaeda-inspiredmilitants has added to a mounting sense of insecurity. Morethan 450 people have been killed in militant-related violencethis year.
Election-day violence, though bad in places, was not assevere as many had feared. At least 20 people were killed,including 15 activists from Bhutto's party, her widower AsifAli Zardari said.
No party is expected to win a majority in the 342-seatNational Assembly but either Bhutto's PPP or the other mainopposition party, led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif,would be the biggest.
While Butto's PPP benefited form a sympathy vote in hernative Sindh province, Sharif's party appeared to be doing wellin Punjab province, where half the members of parliament willbe elected.
Whichever party wins most seats will be in the bestposition to lead a coalition.
A victory for Sharif, who Musharraf ousted in 1999, wouldbe a disaster for Musharraf. Sharif has repeatedly called forMusharraf's removal.
Analysts say Musharraf wants a coalition between the PPPand the PML.
A Pakistani poll watchdog group said there had been a fewincidents of polling irregularities.
Western allies hope for a stable Pakistan focused onfighting militancy, as do investors in a stock market that rose40 percent last year but has shed about 3 percent sinceBhutto's death.
(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider and Jon Hemming inLahore, Faisal Aziz and Sahar Ahmed in Karachi and SimonGardner in Larkana; writing by Simon Cameron-Moore; editing byRobert Birsel and Sanjeev Miglani)
