Pakistan's presidential vote: who is running?

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's military president, Pervez Musharraf, is expected to win re-election in a vote on Saturday by the two houses of parliament and four provincial assemblies.

In all, five candidates are taking part in the presidential election, but two are simply alternate runners in case a last-minute hitch stops either Musharraf or the main opposition party contender, Makhdoom Amin Faheem, from contesting.

The following are profiles of the three main candidates.

PERVEZ MUSHARRAF

Eight years after seizing control in a coup, General Musharraf, 64, appears set to win five more years in power. If he wins and completes his new tenure, Musharraf will be the longest-serving Pakistani ruler.

He has promised to quit as army chief after his election, and will be the first military ruler to do so while staying in power. Generals have ruled Pakistan more than half the 60 years since the country was founded, following independence from British colonial rule and the partition of India.

Treated as a pariah after his coup, Musharraf became a vital ally of the West after the September 11, 2001, attacks by al Qaeda on the United States.

He is credited with bringing Pakistan back from the brink of bankruptcy, opening peace talks with India and promoting a freer press. Critics say he consolidated power by marginalising popular leaders and creating a vacuum filled by Islamists.

A former army commando who has survived many crises, including at least two al Qaeda-inspired assassination attempts, Musharraf saw his popularity plummet after he tried to fire the chief justice in March.