LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) — What's in a name? In Pakistan, where political legacies are handed down like family jewels and clan loyalties often trump policies, it can mean the difference between success and failure.
From the rural areas to the cosmopolitan cities of Muslim Pakistan, the next generation of famous names is hoping that family connections will translate into votes in parliamentary elections on Monday.
The blood-stained family legacy of assassinated opposition leader Benazir Bhutto is perhaps the best-known, but the Bhuttos are just one of the many families dominating Pakistan's political landscape.
Sitting in his office under portraits of his uncle -- two-time premier Nawaz Sharif -- and his politician father Shahbaz, Hamza Sharif comes across as a reluctant politician, following in the family footsteps at his father's behest.
"There is big responsibility on my shoulders, that I have to follow the track of my father, and if I don't, then people will reject me," said 34-year-old Sharif, who will stand for his uncle's party in Lahore.
As accusations fly that some parties are being run like private fiefdoms, Sharif conceded that the family name would give him an advantage, but dismissed claims that dynastic politics were undemocratic.
"The verdict lies with the nation, with the public," he said.
One name ringing through Pakistan as campaigning came to a close Saturday was that of the Bhuttos.
The Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which opinion polls suggest has the most support, was formed by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and passed to his daughter Benazir when he was executed in 1979.
After her death in a suicide bombing in December, the chairmanship was handed down to her son Bilawal, with her husband Asif Ali Zardari leading the party while the 19-year-old completes his education.
The move provoked anger from Bhutto's 25-year-old niece Fatima Bhutto, who slammed the idea that the PPP must be led by a family member as dangerous and undemocratic.
Family feuds also appear to be passed down through the generations.
In Punjab province, the Chaudhry family has dominated local politics since 1965. Bad blood has flowed between them and the Bhuttos since the patriarch Chaudhry Zahoor Elahi was assassinated in 1991 in an attack the family blamed on a group run by Bhutto's late brother -- Fatima's father Murtaza.
Entering the fray for the family for the first time in Monday's elections is Moonis Elahi, son of Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, a seasoned politician who supports President Pervez Musharraf and is seen as his choice for prime minister.
Fresh-faced 31-year-old Moonis studied in the United States, and campaigns in blue jeans and a casual shirt-and-jacket combination.
"What I am hoping for is that the next generation has to move on and does not get involved in politics of the past, that has been going on within the families of all major parties," he said.
Elahi insisted he would be happy to sit down with Bhutto's children in the interests of Pakistan, but his father seemed happy to take a swipe at his foes.
"Having a constituency... and having the transfer of chairmanship of any party like any property is a different thing, as according to the Benazir will," said Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi. "We never inherited any party."
Political franchises in Pakistan also extend out of the cities to the rural areas, where tribal leaders often stand as independent candidates and simply instruct the clan to vote for them, political columnist Irfan Hussain told AFP.
"In the rural areas, the tribal chiefs generally call the shots," he said, adding that throughout a country which has seen many years of military rule, people feel comfortable with leaders whose reputations they know.
And the young faces looking to win seats on Monday are keen to point out that it is not only Pakistan where family matters.
"Let me give you the example of a superpower -- the Bush dynasty," said Hamza Sharif.
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