ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - Pakistan's largest political party on Friday proposed the husband of assassinated leader Benazir Bhutto to succeed the ousted Pervez Musharraf as president.

Asif Ali Zardari, who is emerging as the favorite to be elected by legislators Sept. 6, criticized Musharraf for his long, authoritarian rule but would likely continue the former general's support for the U.S. war against extremist groups.

However, his ascent would dismay many Pakistanis, who view him as a symbol of the sleaze that tainted the country's last experiment with civilian rule in the 1990s. He won the nickname "Mr. 10 Percent" for alleged corruption during his wife's turns as prime minister.

And with the governing coalition that drove Musharraf to resign this week now teetering on the verge of collapse, Zardari's nomination is not certain. He is engaged in intense political horse-trading with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the other key party and a bitter rival of Bhutto.

Sharif had no immediate reaction to Zardari's nomination, but his party has been threatening to bolt from the coalition in a struggle over power.

Many citizens, as well as Pakistan's Western backers, are urging the parties to resolve political issues and turn their attention to runaway inflation, slowing economic growth and inexorably rising violence by Islamic militants entrenched along the border with Afghanistan.

Zardari, 52, did not immediately accept his party's nomination, but he had done nothing to tamp down the recent chorus from supporters calling for him to take a post that retains many of the powers accumulated during Musharraf's nine-year rule.

"If the major political party believes that he is the most talented person, then he is the most eligible person for this post," said Nabeel Gabol of Zardari's Pakistan People's Party, which gave the leader unanimous support at a meeting Friday.

Party spokeswoman Sherry Rehman said Zardari promised to announce whether to accept the nomination within 24 hours.

Zardari returned to Pakistan from years in exile only after his wife was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack in December.

Bhutto, a liberal who courted Western governments and pledged a tough line against Islamic militants, had come back two months before under a U.S.-encouraged deal with Musharraf expected to see them share power after February parliamentary elections.

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