Islamabad, Pakistan, August 18, SPA -- A bi-election designed to clear the path for Pakistan's finance minister to assume thepremiership got under way in two constituencies onWednesday. Shaukat Aziz, a former Citibank executive who is a strongally of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, was on the ballotin Attock, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of thecapital, and in Tharparkar, in southern Sindh province. Lawmakers from both constituencies resigned so that Azizcould win a seat in the National Assembly, or lower house.Under Pakistani law, a prime minister must also be a memberof the assembly. Musharraf's government made Aziz the primeminister-designate after Zafarullah Khan Jamali steppeddown in June. The ruling PML-Q party named Chaudhry ShujaatHussain as caretaker prime minister until Aziz could winthe bi-election and formally be sworn in to the lowerhouse. In Attock, the country's opposition parties have fieldedSikandar Hayyat, a leader of former Prime Minister BenazirBhutto's Pakistan People's Party, to face Aziz. InTharparkar, there will be a contest between Aziz and MaheshMallani, a leader of Bhutto's party. Senior officials of Pakistan Election Commission aremonitoring the election process in both constituencies.--SPA1053 Local Time 0753 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/192906