ISLAMABAD/LARKANA, 31 December 2007 — The party of assassinated former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto yesterday named her teenaged son Bilawal to succeed her as its chairman. Benazir’s husband Asif Ali Zardari was appointed deputy chairman by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) at a meeting in Benazir’s ancestral home at Naudero in the southern Sindh province.

The party also decided to contest countrywide elections set for Jan. 8, ending the threat of a boycott by Pakistan’s political opposition. In fact a party spokesman said it wanted the elections to be held on time and would not accept any postponement, apparently trying to cash in on a sympathy wave generated in its favor.

At a joint news conference with his son, Zardari appealed to the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to drop plans to boycott the election. Responding to the appeal, Sadiq ul-Farooq, a senior member of Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-N party said it had now agreed to run. “Since the Pakistan People’s Party has taken this decision, we will also contest,” he said.

The participation of both main opposition parties would boost the credibility of the elections, meant to usher in democracy after eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf.

PPP’s decisions were made at a closed-door meeting of its Central Executive Committee, three days after the two-time prime minister was murdered in a gun-and-bomb attack in Rawalpindi. At the news conference, Bilawal, 19, a student with no experience in politics, said he would remain at Oxford University, leaving his father as the effective leader of the country’s largest political party.

“The party’s long struggle for democracy will continue with renewed vigor,” Bilawal said. “My mother always said democracy is the best revenge.”

Supporters chanted, “Benazir, princess of heaven” and “Bilawal, move ahead. We are with you.”

Bilawal said Zardari would “take care” of the party while he continued his studies. Zardari then told reporters to direct questions at him, saying his son was at a “tender age.”

Zardari said another party leader, Makhdoom Amin Fahim, would likely be their candidate for prime minister if they won next month’s election.

But the staging of the election on time was put in doubt by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid) party. Tariq Azim, information secretary of the party, said the vote would lose credibility if it was held on schedule. He expected authorities to announce a delay within 24 hours.

“How long the postponement will be is for the Election Commission to decide,” he said. “I think we are looking at a delay of a few weeks... of up to three or four months.”

The caretaker government said it had started consultations with political parties but there was no immediate plan to reschedule the elections. The Election Commission is due to hold an emergency meeting today to decide how to proceed.

Azim referred to the destruction of several election offices in rioting as one of the reasons for delaying the vote. The commission has said that hampered the printing of ballot slips and the training of poll workers.

Zardari demanded a United Nations probe into Benazir’s assassination along the lines of the world body’s probe of the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

With her party openly ridiculing government assertions that she had died by hitting her head against the lever of her car sunroof — and not from bullet or shrapnel wounds in the attack — Zardari said he had denied permission for an autopsy. He said he had lived in Pakistan “long enough to know” how it would have been handled.

Asked whether Benazir’s sister Sanam, who flew in from London to attend the funeral, was considered for leadership, Zardari said: “She was consulted on party matters.” Party sources said Sanam was not interested in politics.

— Additional input from agencies