Pakistani PM candidate seen a low-key loyalist

Yousaf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan People's Party seen at his residence in Multan in this February 7, 2008 fo;e photo.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The man set to become Pakistan's next prime minister is a staunch loyalist of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto who might be asked to step aside for her widower.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which won the most seats in a Feb. 18 general election, said on Saturday its candidate for prime minister would be a party vice chairman, Yousaf Raza Gilani.

President Pervez Musharraf has asked the National Assembly to reconvene on Monday to elect the prime minister and Gilani is all but guaranteed to win with the backing of his party and its coalition allies who control about two-thirds of seats.

Analysts have speculated the PPP would nominate a stop-gap prime minister, and Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari, would take over the post later.

Zardari did not stand in the election and, because a prime minister must be a member of parliament, he will have to win a by-election if he wants the top job.

Gilani, a member of a prominent family from Punjab province, is a former minister and was National Assembly speaker from 1993 to 1997 during Bhutto's second term as prime minister.

He later spent four years in prison on charges of making illegal government appointments. He said the charges were politically motivated.

His mother and sister died while he was in prison.

"He has proven his worth to the party. He was in prison for some time and proved his political credentials," said political analyst Masooda Bano.

"But he's clearly not a very powerful personality and that's why there's a feeling that Zardari has a plan to become prime minister in the coming five to six months," she said.

Makhdoom Amin Fahim, a top aide to Bhutto, had been favourite to be prime minister but his prospects dimmed after the PPP's main coalition partner, the party of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, objected to his contacts with Musharraf.

"NO RIPPLES, NO HEADLINES"

Another candidate was Shah Mahmood Qureshi, leader of the party in Punjab province, who Bano said would have been a stronger candidate which might explain why he was not chosen.

"I don't think they want a very strong candidate for prime minister right now. My view would be it's an interim arrangement and (Zardari) has aspirations for the prime ministership."

Analyst and academic Rasul Baksh Rais, concurred: "I see that Mr Zardari would like to be the prime minister and this could be a stop-gap arrangement."

Gilani, 55, a journalism graduate from Punjab University, is seen as a good team player and a steady hand.

"He's an understated guy, on the quieter side, but he's articulate and seems to be a guy who will work with a team, he's not aggressive," said political analyst Nasim Zehra.

"He has been a minister and the speaker of parliament and I don't think we saw anything particularly negative or positive. He caused no ripples and made no headlines," Zehra said.

Gilani is a member of an old religious family who traces his roots back to the Prophet Mohammad. His forefathers moved from Baghdad to settle in what is now Pakistan and his family has had representatives in every assembly since 1921, when Pakistan was part of British-ruled India.

Speaking to Reuters at his home in the city of Multan shortly before the election, Gilani said military intervention in politics had stifled Pakistan's political development.

"Had there not been interference, our politicians would have been mature and the political system would have been more mature and the system would have been more stable," he said, adding that Pakistan's Western allies had to support democracy.

"If you support the dictator you won't have a system," he said, referring to Musharraf.