PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari, in separate interviews with two private television channels on Friday, reiterated the ruling coalition's stance that General Musharraf should demonstrate maturity and step down before being impeached. And he made it clear that if the President decided to contest impeachment charges then he would have to face the consequences. It was good to hear from him that he was not a candidate for presidency and that the matter would be decided by the political forces. So was his contention that the next President would himself demand the repeal of the Article 58(2) of the Constitution. But his argument that that the PPP being the major component of the ruling coalition could justly have its claim over the office can be disputed. It is not just because the PPP already holds the office of prime minister and speakership of the National Assembly, but because this approach does not fit in the concept of running a coalition. The two mainstream parties were not having a smooth sailing and their failure to resolve the contentious issues, including the reinstatement of the deposed judges, over the past five months prevented them from focussing on the issues of governance. The PML-N eventually withdrew its ministers from the federal cabinet. Mr Zardari's observation that the PPP could have some differences with the PML-N in future, points to the prevalent intra-coalition friction. Mr Zardari should keep in mind that as a bigger partner the PPP cannot only claim its right and abandon its responsibility of running the coalition in a democratic manner rather than trying to impose its will on others. This would be a throwback to the Musharraf's rule when all important decisions were taken by the military dominated National Security Council and the Parliament acted as a mere rubberstamp. There has to be clear differentiation between dictatorship and democracy. Nomination of the next President will be a test for the PPP leadership to demonstrate its adherence to the politics of consensus.