Re-elected Afghan President Hamid Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government yesterday after stern warnings from Western supporters that he would have to work harder to root out corruption.
Afghan election officials on Monday canceled a presidential run-off after Karzai’s only rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew, citing serious concerns about the election.
The outcome leaves Washington and other Western supporters to work with a partner whose legitimacy has been questioned, while Karzai himself faces the prospect of having to work with a newly strengthened opposition.
Karzai’s return removes at least one obstacle as US President Barack Obama weighs whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, where violence this year reached its worst levels since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.
The Taliban termed Karzai’s return a farce and vowed to continue its fight to drive foreign forces out of Afghanistan.
“The election only throws dust into the eyes of the people, but the decisions are all made in Washington,” the Taliban said in a statement.
Faced with stern warnings from Obama, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other Western leaders, Karzai vowed to form an inclusive government.
“Our government will be the mirror of Afghanistan so everyone can see themselves in the mirror,” Karzai said in a nationally televised victory speech.
“There will be crucial changes in our future government. Afghanistan has been defamed from the viewpoint of administrative corruption ... Under whatever means, we will get rid off this blemish,” he said.
Afghanistan’s government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) called off the vote, saying it wanted to spare the Afghan people the expense and security risk of a vote with just one candidate.
Obama congratulated Karzai, but told him in a telephone call on Monday he had to crack down on corruption and better serve his people.
“I emphasized that this has to be a point in time in which we write a new chapter based on improved governance, a much more serious effort to eradicate corruption [and] joint efforts to accelerate the training of Afghan security forces,” Obama told reporters in the White House Oval Office.
There are around 67,000 US troops and 42,000 allied troops in Afghanistan. A White House spokesman said a decision by Obama on troop levels was still weeks away.
Several Obama administration officials have said one issue being weighed in Obama’s strategy review is whether the US has a credible partner to work with in Kabul.
Abdullah withdrew on Sunday, saying he was saddened by the challenges Afghanistan still faces and would pursue his agenda for reform and change.
While under a critical eye from the West, Karzai still has plenty of support, especially in the Pashtun-dominated south and east. Hundreds took to the streets in celebration in the western city of Herat on Monday.
Karzai has ruled since US-backed Afghan forces toppled the Taliban.
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