Karzai Looks Vulnerable in Afghan Election

Abdullah demands overhaul of Afghan election commission

(NEWSER) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s strongest political challenger may boycott next month's planned runoff election if the country’s election commission is not completely purged of Karzai supporters. Abdullah Abdullah has consistently charged that without a commission overhaul the vote-rigging which marred the original election is bound to be repeated. Diplomats worry that Abdullah’s withdrawal could wreck the nation’s fragile democracy. More»

(AP) - Hamid Karzai intends to announce tomorrow how he will "set the stage" for resolving the country's postelection political crisis, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today. She wouldn't say whether the Afghan president has decided to accept the findings of a UN-backed fraud investigation that threw out nearly a third of Karzai's ballots from the disputed August election and set the stage for a runoff. More»

Profiles of the top 4 candidates in a turbulent country

(NEWSER) - Torn by war and insurgency, Afghanistan votes for its next president tomorrow, choosing from among 37 candidates. NPR profiles the frontrunners:

• Hamid Karzai. The incumbent, a member of Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, was elected in 2005 amid a swell of international backing. But lately the former activist’s popularity has been weighed down by government corruption and Taliban activity.

Karzai government says gag will 'control the negative impact of the media'

(NEWSER) - The Afghan government ordered journalists to stay silent on any insurgent attacks that may happen during the presidential election Thursday, the Guardian reports. The gag order is necessary in order “to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote,” said a spokesman for President Karzai. "This decision will control the negative impact of the media. If something happens, this will prevent them from exaggerating it.” More»

Lawmakers plan to convene anyway this weekend

(NEWSER) - Hamid Karzai has delayed the inauguration of Afghanistan’s newly elected parliament, at the behest of a court he appointed himself to hear complaints from losing candidates largely loyal to him. Those candidates complain that fraud and security concerns excluded many people from the vote. But Karzai’s international allies insist the election was legitimate, and say the court he appointed to handle disputes is unconstitutional. Diplomats spent yesterday imploring Karzai to instate the new lawmakers on Sunday as scheduled. It didn't work, but the lawmakers say they plan to convene anyway, notes the Wall Street Journal . More»