Zardari wins Pakistan election

By Robert Birsel

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, swept to victory in a presidential election on Saturday.

Underscoring the problems he faces, a suicide car bomber killed at least 30 people in an attack on a police post in the northwestern city of Peshawar.

Nearly 70 people were injured and police said the death toll could rise further as many people were buried under the rubble of nearby buildings brought down by the blast.

Investors and foreign allies led by the United States hope the election will bring some stability after months of political turmoil and rising militant violence. The uncertainty has dragged stocks and the rupee sharply lower.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice welcomed Zardari's election and praised what she said was his emphasis on fighting terrorism. "Now with a new president, I think we have got a good way forward," she told reporters.

A former businessman, Zardari is close to the United States and has stressed Pakistan's commitment to the widely unpopular campaign against militancy.

Members of the two-chamber parliament and four provincial assemblies voted on a replacement for former army chief Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month nine years after taking power in a coup.

Zardari, who had been widely expected to win, secured 480 out of 702 electoral college votes, according to unofficial Election Commission results.