Presidential elections in Pakistan, in which military ruler Pervez Musharraf will seek a second term in uniform, will be held on October 6.
The Election Commission announced the schedule for the polls on Thursday, two days after the embattled President pledged before the Supreme Court that he would quit as Army Chief if re-elected.
The poll panel will receive nominations for presidential elections on September 27, while scrutiny of the papers will be held on September 29. Nomination papers could be withdrawn on October 1 and the final list of the candidates will be displayed the same day. The election would be held on October 6 between 1030 and 1530 hrs IST, the Commission said.
The 64-year-old General's plans to doff the uniform after re-election, that could pave the way for power-sharing civilian rule ending eight years of military leadership, have already been slammed by the opposition as "unconstitutional and undemocratic".
The Opposition parties said they would quit en masse from the assemblies the day Musharraf filed his nomination. Former premier Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party has also threatened to withdraw its lawmakers from Parliament unless "steps for national reconciliation" are taken.
The election is by a ballot of Pakistan's Parliament and its four provincial assemblies, which have all been in place since 2002.
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