UN Official Denies Cover Up in Afghan Vote

Former ambassador replaces Richard Holbrooke

(NEWSER) - Former ambassador to Egypt Marc Grossman will be coming out of retirement to take up one of the toughest jobs in diplomacy, administration officials say. Grossman, after months of wrangling between the White House and the State Department, is to become the new special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, filling the post left open by Richard Holbrooke's death in December , officials tell the Washington Post. More»

Candidates call for cancellation, cite 'massive fraud'

(NEWSER) - As protesters hit the streets, presidential candidates in Haiti banded together yesterday to demand the election be canceled, citing foul play, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Twelve of the 19 candidates are accusing the outgoing president’s party of “massive fraud.” Protesters—some peaceful, some throwing stones—marched after hundreds of voters said they were barred from voting at polling stations because their names weren’t on rolls. More»

Could just be a move to influence results from a final, lingering province

(NEWSER) - The results are in and the government of President Hamid Karzai is none too pleased: As the United Nations stepped up to endorse Afghanistan's long-awaited parliamentary election results yesterday, Karzai's government promised to challenge the outcome. The New York Times reports that Karzai can count on about 100 of the 249 members of the lower house being loyal to him, a number that appears not to be high enough for him. He's also on the receiving end of complaints from the many losers, who are pressuring him to void the election, in which at least 25% of the ballots were tossed out over fraud concerns. More»

Critics say vote a transparent charade

(NEWSER) - Vote counting has barely begun in Myanmar after the country's first election in 20 years, but critics say the outcome is a foregone conclusion. Reports have been flying of foul play, the Wall Street Journal reports. President Obama criticized the elections as "fundamentally flawed" and urged the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. Hillary Clinton criticized the process as well, while Britain's foreign secretary predicted that "they will not be free, fair, or inclusive." More»

First of all, if you don't have a lawyer ready ... it's too late

(NEWSER) - With at least six Senate races too close to call, and even more in the House, at least one recount is inevitable this Election Day. In the Washington Post , Jay Weiner offers up nine lessons from the high-profile recounts of 2000 (Bush-Gore) and 2008 (Franken-Coleman):

• Lawyer up—yesterday: Al Franken had a lawyer working on recount plans a month before the election. His trial lawyer also started preparing for legal proceedings months before Coleman’s—and Franken won the trial.
• Set money aside: Coleman and Franken likely spent a combined $20 million; for Bush and Gore, the total was $17 million. Know how you’re going to pay—in advance.