There is strong speculation the new government will force Mr Musharraf, who came to power as a general in a 1999 coup, to quit within weeks or months.

There has been some concern within Pakistani media and political circles that the United States could try to prop up Mr Musharraf so that counterterrorism operations in the region are not disturbed by the changing of the guard in Islamabad.

“I expect from the international community that it will support democracy in Pakistan and will help us in strengthening democratic institutions,” the country’s new Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, told reporters after being sworn in.

The four-party coalition is made up of assassinated former president Benazir Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party, former president Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League, the ethnic Pashtun-based Awami National Party and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam religious party.

Eleven of the new ministers, including Mr Qureshi, belonged to assassinated the PPP party, which won the most seats in the election. A further nine were from Mr Sharif’s party.

Of the other four, one was an independent member of parliament and three were from two junior coalition partners.

Members of Mr Sharif’s party wore black armbands as they were sworn in, to protest against Mr Musharraf, whom they consider an unconstitutional president.

source: ireland.com