Pakistan ? Lawmakers have started voting in Pakistan’s presidential election, a race where the favorite by far is the scandal-tainted pro-U.S. widower of slain ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

If elected, Asif Ali Zardari could become one of the most powerful civilian leaders in Pakistan’s 61-year history.

As the head of Pakistan’s main ruling party, he marshaled a coalition that, using the threat of impeachment, forced longtime U.S. ally Pervez Musharraf to quit last month as head of state.

The election comes as Pakistan’s economy is crumbling and it faces rising violence by militants. Zardari has vowed to support the U.S.-led war on terror and also reduce the powers of the president.