Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Recounts Ordered at 2,500 Afghan Voting Sites

Total could drop Karzai low enough to require a run-off

By the Associated Press

Posted Sep 15, 2009 7:48 AM CDT
Email

(AP) – A UN-backed monitoring body ordered Afghanistan's election commission to recount ballots from about 10% of the country's polling stations because of suspicious totals in last month's presidential vote, the AP reports. The recount order raises the possibility that President Hamid Karzai's lead could drop below the 50% threshold, forcing the country to hold a runoff between Karzai and top challenger Abdullah Abdullah.

More than 2,500 polling sites out of 26,300 will need to be recounted, said the head of the Electoral Complaints Commission. Last week the commission ordered recounts and audits for stations that had 100% turnout or where a candidate received more than 95% of the valid votes. The ECC has already thrown out ballots from 83 polling stations because of fraud allegations, all in areas of support for Karzai.

Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept.13, 2009.
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept.13, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept.13, 2009.
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept.13, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers audit the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers audit the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.
Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) workers look for patterns of irregularities of the disputed ballots at Independent Elections Commission (IEC), in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.   (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 1 of 1 comment
Unaffiliated
Sep 14, 2009 8:31 PM CDT
While I wasn't alive during the Vietnam War, the corruption in the Afghan government is very reminiscent of the corruption in the South Vietnamese government. Maybe George Will was right.

Copyright 2012 Newser, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. AP contributed to this report.

 
Afghanistan • Hamid Karzai • disputed election • recount • Abdullah Abdullah • Afghanistan election

More Newser Stories

US, Afghanistan, Taliban: Secret Talks Under Way

US Eyes Switch to Special Ops in Afghanistan

Sarkozy Wants Out of Afghanistan Next Year

Panetta Calls Karzai Over Marines' Video

US-Taliban Peace Talks Could Resume Within Weeks
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne