ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said here on Wednesday that general elections would be held in the first half of January next year.

He said that interim governments at the centre and in provinces would take over after Nov 15 when the present assemblies would complete their constitutional term.

Speaking to media personnel at an iftar hosted by him at the Prime Minister’s House, Mr Aziz said the presidential election had been held in a smooth manner and its boycott by some opposition parties made no difference as far as its results were concerned.

He said that the interim governments would be in place as soon as the present assemblies completed their term on November 15.

The prime minister said it was the present government which had amended the law to make it incumbent on the government to hand over power to an interim government of neutral personalities to ensure fair, free and impartial elections within 60 days of the dissolution of assemblies.

He said that at present the government was looking for people of unblemished character having no political bias to head the interim set-up.

Mr Aziz said that even if the opposition parties had participated in the presidential election, Gen Musharraf would have polled over 57 per cent of votes.

About Benazir Bhutto’s scheduled return on Oct 18, the prime minister said the government would provide foolproof security on her arrival. When asked if she would be exonerated from NAB cases under the NRO, he only said the government was committed to providing a level-playing field to all those contesting the next elections.

He, however, said that the objective of the ordinance was to end the politics of vindictiveness, vendetta and intolerance and to promote national reconciliation.

The premier said that Gen Musharraf’s re-election would ensure continuity of economic policies.The prime minister said that coalition members in the National Assembly and Senate made their 100 per cent attendance during the presidential election which was a sign of their unity and constant support for the president.

The prime minister also spoke about the Seventh Wage Board Award which, he said, was pending for implementation because of certain complications. He promised to resolve the issue by sitting together with the representatives of the media and newspaper owners.

AFP adds: The prime minister said the Election Commission must now decide on an official date. He insisted that January’s election would be the next stage of the democratic process.

“With the presidential election held successfully, the first phase of the election process has been completed and now general elections will be held in a transparent and free manner,” he said.