Woman elected Pakistan assembly speaker

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 19 (UPI) -- Fehmida Mirza, a member of Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party, became the first woman speaker of the national assembly Wednesday.

Mirza received 249 of the 324 votes in the new parliament, the Press Trust of India reported. Some members of the opposition clearly supported her in the secret ballot, since her total was higher than the combined number of delegates from the PPP and its coalition allies.

''This is my third tenure in the National Assembly, and I believe it is time that we all work together to address the challenges facing the country,'' Mirza told reporters before the vote. ''I am sure that we will be able to face these challenges with the support of parliamentarians, our people and Pakistani media.''

The election Feb. 18 was an overwhelming victory for the opponents of President Pervez Musharraf. The vote was postponed after the assassination of Bhutto.

Mirza, from Sindh province, has a degree in medicine. Her husband, Zulfiqar Mirza, is a member of the Sindh provincial assembly.