Afghanistan’s election commission declared Afghanistan’s incumbent president Hamid Karzai as elected to another term yesterday after it called off a run-off following the withdrawal of his only rival.
The run-off, called after the first round in August was marred by widespread fraud, was to have been held on Saturday.
“The Independent Election Commission [IEC] declares the esteemed Hamid Karzai as the president ... because he was the winner of the first round and the only candidate in the second round,” the commission’s chief, Azizullah Ludin, told a news conference.
Former Afghan foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from the race over the weekend, citing doubts about the credibility of the election process.
“There is no second round,” the IEC’s chief electoral officer Daoud Ali Najafi said.
Earlier, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made an announced visit to Kabul as diplomatic efforts gathered pace to resolve the prolonged political crisis.
“We continue to stand by the people of Afghanistan in their quest for prosperity and peace,” Ban said.
The withdrawal of Abdullah from the run-off had cast doubts over the legitimacy of the next government, already under a cloud following the Aug. 20 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud in favor of Karzai.
A weakened Afghan government under Karzai would be a blow for US President Barack Obama as he considers whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to fight a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.
A spokesman for Karzai’s campaign said the president would issue a statement about the announcement by the election commission later in the day.
Karzai’s camp on Sunday ruled out a coalition with Abdullah, dashing hopes the two leaders could together find a way out of the impasse.
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