Musharraf re-election plan "a sham" - rights group

ISLAMABAD, May 1 (Reuters) Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's plan to get re-elected by the sitting parliament before a general election would bypass the democratic process and be a sham, a prominent rights group said TOday.

Musharraf, who has made no secret of his plan to stand for a second term, said in an interview last week the current parliament, where a military-backed party holds a majority, would vote for president by October, before national elections.

The US-based group Human Rights Watch said Musharraf's plan would ensure his re-election as president and continuation as army chief.

Pakistani opposition groups say the plan to get re-elected by sitting assemblies would be unconstitutional.

''Musharraf intends to bypass the democratic process once again by staging an illegal presidential election ahead of the parliamentary vote,'' said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

''Pakistan needs legitimate parliamentary and presidential elections to get back on the path to genuine democratic rule.

Anything else would be a sham.'' Under Pakistan's constitution, the National Assembly and Senate along with the four provincial assemblies elect the president.

The Islamist opposition has warned it might challenge the government through the Supreme Court if Musharraf were to get his term renewed by the current assemblies.

Musharraf, an important US ally who is also army chief, seized power in a 1999 coup.

''As president, Musharraf has arbitrarily amended the Pakistani constitution to strengthen the power of the presidency, marginalise elected representatives, and formalise the role of the army in government,'' the rights group said.

Musharraf promotes a vision of ''enlightened moderation'', although he has done deals with the religious right to strengthen his rule.

Questions about his plans come amid widespread speculation that he is hatching a power-sharing deal with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, which would allow her to return home after nearly a decade in self-exile to avoid corruption charges.

Human Rights Watch called on Musharraf's international supporters, particularly the United States and Britain, to press Musharraf to prepare free and fair elections to facilitate a genuine return to civilian rule.

REUTERS KD PM1540