Word: referendums
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...recent weeks by campaigning for the people's consent to continue as President. Musharraf came to power in 1999 by grabbing it from an elected Prime Minister in a coup. He did not seek permission then, but on April 30, Pakistanis are being asked to vote in a referendum to approve another five years of Musharraf. There is no other candidate, yet he has been crisscrossing Pakistan, addressing rallies, donning enormous turbans, promising electricity and roads?all the things politicians love...
...Musharraf's future has ramifications beyond Pakistan's borders. He is the linchpin in the U.S.'s war against terrorism. If he goes, Pakistan's position as frontline state could be undermined. But the referendum could backfire, says political scientist Hasan Askari Rizvi: "Suddenly people are thinking, how different is he really?" Some fear Musharraf may also try to consolidate his power further by formalizing the role of the National Security Council, a military-dominated body that would undercut Parliament and hold decision-making authority over all major national issues...
...Certainly, Musharraf is taking no chances with the referendum. The government, which is spending nearly $28 million on the campaign, is so worried about an embarrassingly low turnout that it has reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 and set up 87,000 polling stations, including mobile booths at bazaars, bus stops, airports, offices, even prisons. At a rally in Peshawar last week, the nearest Musharraf supporters?including his own government officials?were kept 50 m away from the elevated stage, which was surrounded by commandos brandishing automatic rifles. Riot police were poised to charge, but the crowd...
...Whatever love there might have been is diminishing among many liberal and moderate Pakistanis who previously supported Musharraf. They now compare him to the late, hated dictator General Zia ul-Haq, who in 1984 initiated a constitutionally questionable referendum to legitimize his rule. Likewise, some industrialists have grown disillusioned with Musharraf. They claim government officials threatened them into backing the referendum; to show their support, they sponsored huge banners praising the President. Exorbitant tax bills were presented to those who claimed other political loyalties. "Everybody is terrified," says a Karachi businessman. "We don't want our businesses to be destroyed...
...bill currently being proposed in the California legislature by state Sen. Don Perata would lead to a referendum in November on levying a five cent tax on every bullet sold. This new tax would help pay for the trauma centers which deal directly with the carnage caused by gun violence, not only decreasing the amount of ammunition sold but also making gun owners pay directly for the damage that they inflict on society...