Afghanistan: “Hundreds of Thousands” of Ballots for Hamid Karzai Tossed Out
October 20th, 2009Via: Chicago Tribune:
A United Nations-backed panel Monday tossed out hundreds of thousands of ballots cast in August for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, and independent election observers said the new figures dictated that a runoff election should take place.
Karzai and election officials loyal to the president appeared to balk at accepting the fraud investigators’ findings that he did not win the majority needed for a first-round victory in the landmark presidential election. That would trigger a runoff with his main challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.
While Abdullah renewed demands for a runoff, the Obama administration and diplomats sought to persuade Karzai to acknowledge the validity of the U.N.-backed panel’s findings. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she was encouraged by the direction events were taking.
Failure to accept the election panel’s finding, diplomats and administration officials warned, could risk triggering a constitutional crisis and raise the specter of street violence and ethnic strife.
