Asif Ali Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, has been elected president of Pakistan, solidifying his grip on power in the nuclear-armed nation that is grappling with rising extremism and a crumbling economy.
"My victory is the peoples' victory and the victory of democracy," Mr Zardari, co-head of the governing Pakistan Peoples Party, told state-run Pakistan Television, which announced the result.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed Mr Zardari's election and praised what she said was his emphasis on fighting terrorism. "Now with a new president, I think we have got a good way forward," she told reporters.
Mr Zardari secured 479 out of 702 electoral votes from lawmakers in both houses of parliament and the four state assemblies, state-run PTV said.
Members of the two-chamber parliament and four provincial assemblies voted for a replacement for Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month.
Mr Zardari comes to the job with a mandate to tackle soaring inflation and provide food for the two-thirds of the population who live on less than $2 a day. A gun attack on the motorcade of PPP prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani this week underscored the need to improve security in a nation that saw 2,000 people killed in terrorist attacks last year.
As polls opened today, a suicide car-bomber attacked a police post in the city of Peshawar, killing at least 30 people, five of them policemen, and wounding about 70. The blast destroyed the post and brought down roofs of nearby buildings. Some people were still under the rubble, said provincial police chief Malik Naveed Khan. The bomber's target was probably the provincial assembly, where members were voting in the election, he said.
Mr Gilani, a senior member of Ms Bhutto's party, said Mr Zardari fought the election on behalf of his slain wife and his victory would be a landmark in the country's history.
"Her long struggle proves successful today," Mr Gilani said in a statement.
The new president will have to contend with a host of problems that have raised fears for the prospects of the nuclear-armed US ally, including surging militant violence and an economy in tatters.
Mr Zardari, known as a polo-playing playboy in his younger days, was thrust into the centre of politics by his wife's assassination on December 27th. A February parliamentary election win by their Pakistan People's Party (PPP) made him one of the most powerful figures in the country.
His decision in August to begin impeachment proceedings against Mr Musharraf led to the latter's resignation, and cleared the way for Mr Zardari to win the top job.
His two rivals for president were Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, a former judge, nominated by ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party, and Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a senior official of the party that backed Musharraf and ruled under him.
Mr Zardari (53), spent 11 years in jail on corruption and other charges stemming from his time in government when his wife was prime minister in the 1990s. He was never convicted and said the charges were politically motivated.
But in an indication of the doubts Mr Zardari faces, a poll by Gallup Pakistan found only 26 per cent of about 2,000 people questioned thought he should be president, while 44 per cent didn't want any of the three candidates.
Reuters/Bloomberg