ISLAMABAD: President-elect Asif Ali Zardari must reverse controversial changes made to the Constitution under the military rule and restore the powers of parliament, the opposition leaders said on Sunday.

The call from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) came after Zardari won more than two-thirds of the ballots cast by lawmakers in the presidential election. Former president Pervez Musharraf, who resigned last month, vested vast political powers in the presidency, including the right to dismiss parliament, appoint leaders of the military and make key judicial appointments.

"The criticism against Pervez Musharraf was that he had politicised the presidency," said Ahsan Iqbal, a former government minister and a senior figure in the PML-N. "Zardari's first test is that as president he facilitates the transfer of Musharraf's powers to parliament."

Nawaz's allies have already demanded that Zardari resign as co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) in the wake of his victory. "Under the Constitution the president is ceremonial and the prime minister is strong," Ahsan Iqbal said. "If the centre of power is the presidency then there is a dichotomy like that under Musharraf. He should surrender those powers and resign his political position immediately,: he added.