Bhutto's Successor? 19 year-old Son Bilawel-----> pic

[tekisui]

Benazir Bhutto's son has been anointed her successor, the slain former prime minister's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) confirmed today. A senior PPP official had told TIME late Saturday that Bhutto's 19-year-old son, Bilawal, would likely be named as her political heir and the new party leader on Sunday. PPP members met this morning to discuss the party's future and to give Bilawal, a student at Oxford, a chance to read his mother's last will and testament.

A Pakistani television news channel also carried reports on Saturday that Bilawal would be made the new leader, which the channel said accorded with Benazir Bhutto's wishes. The teenager will become the third leader of the 40-year-old center-left party, one of Pakistan's most powerful. Bilawal will follow his grandfather, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who founded the PPP in 1967, led Pakistan as Prime Minister for four years in the mid 1970s and was hanged in 1979 by a military government, and Benazir, who took over from her father and was killed in a shooting and suicide bomb attack two days ago.

The quick anointment of a Bhutto to head the PPP will help rally party members devastated by the assassination of their tough but beloved leader. The party hopes to ride a wave of sympathy in parliamentary elections that are set for Jan. 8 but may yet be postponed in the face of widespread violence around the country. Rival opposition parties have called for a boycott of the polls but PPP officials say their party intends to participate.

more at link: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1699006,00.html

[madokie]

1. I'd sure hate to be he about right now

after whats just happened to his mother he is going to have to go along or be like she is, dead. so sad

[originalpckelly]

2. Elective monarchy?

Seems like it to me.

[baldguy]

6. Bush... Clinton... Bush... Clinton...

Are we any different?

[Leopolds Ghost]

19. It worked for Naboo. n/t

[baldguy]

23. Naboo was betrayed, invaded & conquered.

[depakid]

3. All in the family....

:eyes:

[RFKHumphreyObama]

4. He just started Oxford

He hasn't even had a chance to finish his studies yet. While I have no doubt that he's an intelligent person, it is much too early for him to be thrust into a role such as this one.

Poor guy -he's got the hardest task in the world ahead of him

[CountAllVotes]

5. he doesn't look thrilled

poor guy! :(

:kick:

[IDemo]

7. He wasn't, to begin with. Maybe that has changed

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2555683&mesg_id=2555683

[Blue_Roses]

8. that's gotta be frightening to him

considering what just happened to his mother and the history of their family. That's too much for him right now...

[Annces]

9. I wonder if he wants anything to do with it

It looks as if he is going against his will.

[tekisui]

10. He's being led to the gallows.

He knows what will happen to him.

[Didereaux]

11. talk about your 'walking dead'!

[gorekerrydreamticket]

12. Looks like a personality cult to me...

Why do they put this on her son, 19 years old and hasn't lived in Pakistan for a good half of his life?

[Junkdrawer]

13. Let's see: they hung Grandpa, shot Mom and both Uncles...

Yep. The family business sounds like a great career choice...

[La Lioness Priyanka]

14. ugh,

[SoCalDem]

15. And then when he's assassinated, his younger brother can take over

etc etc etc..

[Cass]

16. I believe that photo was taken at his mother's burial.

The poor kid looks shell-shocked.

I read earlier that he is not too keen on taking over in his mother's footsteps and who could blame him. The politically motivated deaths of his grandfather, 2 uncles and now his mother must weigh heavily on his mind. Poor kid has not even had a chance to grow up and experience life as a adult and this is thrust onto his shoulders under such tragic and devastating circumstances. I will be wishing good thoughts for this young man as it appears he will have a hard road ahead of him.

[tekisui]

17. The PPP is continuing to run in the election with the son.

And they have gotten Shariff to come back from his boycott.

[Leopolds Ghost]

22. Is this like what they did with John Ashcroft in Missouri?

Ran the wife of the political dynasty when the husband was killed in a small plane crash.

[Leopolds Ghost]

20. Not much different from the Kennedy clan.

Of course, John John and Katherine and the others were/are notorious
intellectual and political letdowns after JFK and RFK.

[Hutzpa]

18. Whats the matter with these folks

they don't have anyone smart enough to rule besides this kid, he has not even start having girlfriends yet....guess thats out the window now, what girl would want to date him after all this 'enchilada'

[College Liberal]

21. Tragedy in the making

This is not going to turn out well :(

[spanone]

24. he looks thrilled!

:sarcasm:

i wish him the best