Karzai Foe Set to Pull Out of Afghan Runoff

Abdullah says result will be same without new election officials

(NEWSER) - Both candidates for Afghanistan's presidency focused on the Nov. 7 runoff yesterday, with Hamid Karzai declaring that there would be no power-sharing government, while challenger Abdullah Abdullah voiced concern that without the ouster of top election officials, the tainted outcome would be no different. "So long as these people are not being removed from the commission, I don't think we are going to have a free and fair election," said an Abdullah supporter. More»

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»

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»

Runoff election looms as prez bows to pressure

(NEWSER) - Hamid Karzai will bow to international pressure and accept the results of a UN-backed recount of Afghanistan's presidential election, US and European officials tell the New York Times. The incumbent will publicly acknowledge he fell short of 50% of the first-round vote as early as today, setting the stage for a runoff ballot against Abdullah Abdullah. Under Afghanistan's constitution a runoff must be held within two weeks, but logistical difficulties and the onset of winter may keep the country's political future uncertain for months. 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»