Candidate for next Pakistani PM to be announced

By Augustine Anthony

ISLAMABAD, March 22 (Reuters) - The party of assassinated former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, which is set to lead a coalition government, will announce its candidate for prime minister on Saturday, party officials said.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) which won the most seats in a Feb. 18 parliamentary election, is led by Bhutto's widower, Asif Ali Zardari but he is ineligible to stand for prime minister as he is not a member of parliament.

"The consultation process within the party and with the coalition partners on the nomination of the prime minister has been completed," Raza Rabbani, a deputy secretary general of the party, told reporters.

"The chairman will announce the final decision later in the day," he said, referring to the son of Bhutto and Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who has returned to Pakistan for a short break from Britain where he is studying.

The 19-year-old was appointed chairman of the PPP after his mother's assassination on Dec. 27 but has said he will complete his studies at Oxford University before entering politics.

There is speculation the PPP will nominate a stop-gap prime minister, and Bhutto's widower will take over the post later after he gets into parliament by winning a by-election.

Another senior party official said the announcement was due at about 9 p.m. (1600 GMT).

President Pervez Musharraf has asked the National Assembly to reconvene on Monday to elect the prime minister and the PPP's choice is all but guaranteed to win the vote.