President Asif Ali Zardari recently signed the Eighteenth Amendment Bill after its approval by parliament. Many has seen this move as noble and heroic, as the bill includes a major clause relating to the powers of the President; particularly, his ability to dissolve parliament. In purely technical terms, the passing of the bill will lead to the President losing much of his power in favor of a parliamentary system of government. However, this may not be the reality.
Though the passing of the bill will mean that Prime Minister Gilani is the official head of government, President Zardari holds a position far more valuable in a country with a weak political framework. This position does not refer to the seat of President, but to the seat of chairman of the ruling party. As Co-Chairman of the Peoples Party, President Zardari still dictates the plays much like a football coach: he need not be on the field, but all moves go through him.
If the football metaphor does not suffice, here is a more practical comparison. In Russia two years ago, President Vladimir Putin was replaced by Dmitry Medvedev. As Putin was ineligible to be re-elected as President, United Russia decided to give their Chairman the subordinate position of Prime Minister. Any Russian political analyst can testify however, that Vladimir Putin is still very much in charge.
For an example a lot closer to home, take a look at neighboring India. The Prime Minister has been Manmohan Singh the economist for some time now. However, it is clear from his lack of political experience that Congress would never give him any real power, and Congress President Sonia Ghandi is much more likely to be in charge.
So is Pakistan really returning to the parliamentary system, or will President Zardari take on the Putin-Ghandi role?
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