Global Times - Karzai declared winner in Afghan election

Home >> World >> Top Photo

Karzai declared winner in Afghan election

Source: Global Times
[08:12 November 03 2009]
Comments

Afghan President Hamid Karzai gestures during a news conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, June 15, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)

Election organizers on Monday declared Hamid Karzai the Afghan president for a second term, canceling a one-man presidential run-off following a diplomatic push led by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.

"We declare that Mr Hamid Karzai, who won the majority of votes in the first round, and is the only candidate in the second round, is the elected president of Afghanistan," the Indepedent Election Commission's Chairman Azizullah Ludin said.

Ludin said the decision had been made in line with the provisions of the Afghan electoral law and constitution and was "consistent with the high interest of the Afghan people".

The move came one day after the only challenger pulled out and after Ban met Karzai amid a diplomatic push to ensure the one-horse election did not take place and to bring a quick end to more than two months of chaos.

Karzai's rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the contest Sunday, declaring he would not participate for fear that widespread fraud that discredited the first round would be repeated.

Ban met both Karzai and Abdullah following a deadly Taliban suicide attack on a UN guesthouse, killing 12 people, six of them UN staff.

In a press conference, Ban did not say whether he wanted to see the election scrapped but said the United Nations would respect and support the decision of the commission

While Ban refused to be drawn on whether he believed the run-off should should have been staged, a UN spokesman said it was "difficult to see" how Afghanistan could hold an election in just five days' time with only one candidate.

After Karzai snubbed a series of demands promoted by his rival as a chance to avoid a repeat of massive first-round fraud, Abdullah said Sunday that he saw no point in standing, but stopped short of calling for a boycott.

AFP