LONDON (Reuters) - Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has said he is not ready to resign despite suffering big losses in a parliamentary election this week.
Slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto's PakistanPeople's Party (PPP) won the most seats in the NationalAssembly in Monday's election, while the allies of Musharraf, aformer army chief who seized power in a 1999 coup, suffered biglosses.
But the PPP needs coalition partners and the president'scamp is banking on persuading it to invite the pro-MusharrafPakistan Muslim League (PML) to salvage his leadership.
Asked in an interview with the Wall Street Journalpublished on Wednesday whether he contemplated resigning,Musharraf said: "No, not yet. We have to move forward in a waythat we bring about a stable democratic government toPakistan."
He said it was premature to comment on who might be thecountry's next prime minister, as that was a matter for thepolitical parties to decide.
Asked whether he could work with Nawaz Sharif, the primeminister he overthrew in 1999, Musharraf said: "The governmentis run by the prime minister. The president has no mandate toshare governing power with the prime minister."
He added: "The clash would be if the prime minister andpresident would be trying to get rid of each other. I only hopewe would avoid these clashes."
Sharif, whose party ran a close second in Monday's poll,has made driving Musharraf from power his mission sincereturning from exile in Saudi Arabia in November. (Writing byGiles Elgood; Editing by Ibon Villelabeitia)
