Gen. Pervez Musharraf was poised early Wednesday for an overwhelming victory in a presidential referendum, although, according to political observers in the region, the apparent low voter turnout could weaken his authority in cracking down on Islamic extremism. Musharraf, who came to power in a bloodless 1999 coup, hoped for a high turnout that would lend him a stamp of legitimacy. He had also asked for a big win to silence those who criticized his support for the U.S. war on terror and crackdown on Islamic militancy. His most vocal critics have been radical Islamic elements, which have a following in the deeply conservative tribal belt that borders Afghanistan. (Read photo caption).

Opposition political parties criticized the referendum as unconstitutional but lost their legal effort to prevent Tuesday's vote. Then they called for a voter boycott.

Still, virtually no one expected Musharraf to lose. Final results from the 87,000 polling stations around the country - some of them in prisons and gas stations - were not expected before midday Wednesday.

PHOTO CAPTION

Pakistan's President General Pervez Musharraf waves to the crowd at a polling station after voting in a referendum in Rawalpindi April 30, 2002. Official returns from the presidential referendum, in which Musharraf is seeking five more years in power, showed him winning by a landslide in a poll marred by accusations of fraud. (Reuter