Word: hussains
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Candidates these days need whatever help they can get. Many, like Hussain, have received letters from the interior ministry claiming they are on terrorists' hit lists, and should avoid large rallies. The threats may be fabricated, says Hussain, an attempt to keep opposition candidates and their anti-Musharraf platform out of sight, but still, "you can never be too sure." In years past Hussain would have called massive rallies in town centers; these days she reaches out through small gatherings in private courtyards, repeating her speeches as many as five times a day. Between rallies she drives in a convoy...
...weeks after the assassination of Bhutto, that mission has become a sacred trust, and for candidates such as Hussain campaigning on the PPP ticket, a potent political boon. Analysts, diplomats and politicians are expecting a large PPP sympathy vote on February 18, when Pakistanis go to the polls in an election that very well could lead to the ouster of President Pervez Musharraf, if the opposition wins a majority in parliament. "It's all about Benazir now," says Hussain. "After the 27th, I am much less relevant. It sounds terrible, but the death of Benazir has increased our chances...
...traditional Islamic mourning period. Asif Zardari, Bhutto's husband and appointed co-chair of the party, will launch the national campaign a day later. But due to restrictions on large gatherings, historically the PPP's most fertile vote earner, the onus falls on candidates such as Hussain to keep Bhutto relevant. Hussain's speeches are filled with fiery condemnations of Musharraf, whom she blames for Bhutto's death, despite the fact that both the government and the CIA have fingered al-Qaeda affiliated militants. "You can take revenge," she shouts to the third gathering of the day. "Avenge Benazir Bhutto...
...Hussain has little to offer in the way of a platform. The rise of suicide bombers, and a flour, gas and electricity shortage that is reaching crisis proportions feature in all her speeches, but she gives no concrete solutions other than the ouster of Musharraf, whom she refers to as a "tinpot dictator" and other unflattering epithets that are unpublishable in Pakistan because of the government's media crackdown...
...parties striving to cement real grassroots political support that is loyal to the party rather than the candidate. It is having limited success. Analysts estimate that only one-third of PPP votes in the last election were for the party, which is why candidates such as Hussain can switch parties yet maintain their vote bank. This year, the death of Bhutto may be the catalyst that turns hundreds of local elections into a real national movement. In Lalian (which had a PPP representative who then switched over to Musharraf), it already seems to be working. "The politicians come here...