Karzai Accepts UN Recount, Runoff Looms

Round 2 of Afghan election no panacea, either

(NEWSER) - Hamid Karzai's concession yesterday that an election runoff was necessary may have brought Afghanistan back from political paralysis, but another ballot is no sure solution. The potential for fraud—more than a quarter of first round ballots were thrown out—has not abated, the New York Times notes. Today Abdullah Abdullah said he's prepared for a runoff, but he left open the possibility of a unity government with Karzai. More»

US wants clean election, and could support a coalition government

(AP) - The US built pressure on Hamid Karzai yesterday, with both Barack Obama and John Kerry signaling that a troop increase could hinge on a successful runoff election, and that the Obama administration would be receptive to a power-sharing deal between Karzai and his chief rival. A coalition government could provide a critical internal check on Karzai, who's widely favored to win the runoff Nov. 7. More»

Ban Ki-Moon plans measures to ensure widespread fraud isn't repeated

(NEWSER) - The United Nations learned "quite a painful lesson" from the widespread fraud in Afghanistan's August election, and aims to rout out corrupt voting supervisors next time around, Ban Ki-Moon said yesterday. The UN secretary-general said more than half of the election officials should be removed before next month's runoff election "to ensure a fair and transparent process," the BBC reports. UN officials aim to visit every polling station during the November 7 vote. More»

Abdullah wants interim government: 'Karzai's term is over'

(NEWSER) - Abdullah Abdullah, who came in second in the first round of Afghanistan's presidential election, is calling for an interim government to take over the country if it's too difficult or dangerous to organize a runoff in the coming weeks. The challenger to Hamid Karzai also rejected suggestions of a power-sharing deal, mooted in Washington lately, which Abdullah's spokesman called "against the law." Karzai is expected to concede that he did not win 50% of the vote later today. 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»