People’s Party Chairman Asif Ali Zardari held a press conference around an hour ago. He accepted the election results and said his party will form a “national consensus ” government with “friends” who have accepted a set of stipulations.  He apparently listed only one of them, which was to push for a United Nations investigation of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Zardari and other People’s Party officials previously dismissed the Scotland Yard report.

Benazir Bhutto’s widower said his first action would be the removal of the PEMRA ordinance imposed on November 3rd, which places restrictions on the private media and has barred specific news personalities from the camera. Last week, one of those journalists, Nursat Javed, appeared on Aaj TV and the Pakistani government suspended the channel’s satellite transmission for a few hours.

Zardari’s stated his broad goals are the restoration provincial autonomy and return of power back to parliament. He said he will take “soft, small steps.”  He will clearly pursue a more conservative path than Nawaz Sharif of the Muslim League, who’s called for Musharraf’s resignation and the restoration of the pre-November 3rd judiciary.  In contrast, Zardari has not called for Musharraf’s resignation.  He’s indicated before the elections that he’d be willing to work with Musharraf.  While Zardari demanded that the deposed judges and Aitzaz Ahsan be released, he fell short of requesting the restoration of the pre-November 3rd judiciary.