The route to free and fair elections

It turns out that in today's world, governed as it is by Bush-like logic, the best way to insure free and fair elections in a democracy is to invoke martial law, arrest all the members of the opposition parties, close down the press, and then hold the elections:

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 13 — Pakistan’s president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to lift his state of emergency, insisting in an interview that it was the best way to ensure free and fair elections.

Of course, I suppose this all depends on the meaning of "free and fair." Free means free to vote for Mr. Musharraf. Fair means it's fair to him by returning him to power.