"I think the government was planning to rig, but the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the reaction to that forced a rethink," said Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, head of the nonprofit Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency.
"Had there been a perception of rigging, it is very likely the result would have been violence the government was unable to control," he said.
The chief of Musharraf's party said it would not contest the outcome.
"We accept the results with an open heart," Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who lost his own parliamentary seat, told the Associated Press.
Musharraf was elected to a new five-year term as president by lawmakers late last year. However, the new parliament could overturn his election, which had been challenged by critics in court, or move to impeach him.
Lawmakers could also roll back some of Musharraf's actions during last year's six-week emergency rule, primarily his firing of dozens of judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry.
According to unofficial results for 261 of the 272 parliamentary seats being contested, the PPP had taken 87 seats and Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League-N received 67. The ruling party took 38, with smaller and independent parties making up the balance.
Nearly a dozen of the president's closest allies fell victim to anti-Musharraf fervor, losing what had previously been secure seats.
"Heavyweights Knocked Out," said the headline in the Dawn newspaper. "All the King's Men, Gone!" read the banner headline in the Daily Times.
Three visiting U.S. lawmakers described Monday's vote as having been reasonably fair, despite scattered election day violence and a series of attacks during the course of the campaign -- including the suicide bombing that killed Bhutto.
"It was a credible election," said Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The lawmakers, who also included Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) and Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), pointed to the apparent defeat of religious parties in a key border province, and the Islamists' slippage in nationwide polls, as proof that a "moderate majority" had prevailed.
The lawmakers praised Musharraf for having carried through with pledges to give up his post as military chief, which he did late last year, and to hold the elections.
The American delegation declined to say what kind of coalition the United States would prefer to see, but urged all parties to put aside grudges and work together.
The U.S. delegation members, who met Tuesday with Musharraf after the results became clear, described the Pakistani leader as having accepted the outcome and being prepared to work with whatever coalition emerged.
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laura.king@latimes.com
henry.chu@latimes.com
King reported from Islamabad and Chu from Lahore.
