Musharraf sweeps vote

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf won most votes in a presidential election on Saturday but he must wait for the Supreme Court to confirm the legality of his bid before being declared the winner.

His landslide in an election largely boycotted by the opposition was widely expected. Members of the two-chamber parliament and four provincial assemblies voted for president.

The ruling coalition's majority ensured that Musharraf beat two rival candidates. However, his fate will not be known until October 17 at the earliest when the Supreme Court is due to consider whether he was eligible to stand while still army chief.

Doubts over the final outcome have added to uncertainty in the nuclear-armed Muslim country entering a transition period from military to civilian rule which will culminate in a national election due by mid-January.

In the two houses of parliament, Musharraf won 252 of 257 votes cast. His closest rival, Wajihuddin Ahmed, won two votes, while three votes were rejected, Chief Election Commissioner Qazi Muhammad Farooq told the National Assembly.

U.S. ally Musharraf, who took power in a coup in 1999, won most votes in the provincial assemblies and finished with 384 electoral college votes out of 702, according to a Reuters tally.

"It's a very historic day," Musharraf told a news conference.

"This is the first step towards the final phase of transition back to an absolutely normal government system," he said, referring to the vote and a promise to quit the army by November 15 and be sworn in as a civilian leader.