Run-off poll in two weeks as 1m Karzai votes declared fake

Published on Tuesday 20 October 2009 22:07

HAMID Karzai caved to intense international pressure yesterday and agreed to compete in a run-off that will decide Afghanistan's fraud-ridden presidential elections.

After days spent threatening to boycott the findings of a fraud inquiry, the president finally accepted a decision by Afghanistan's electoral bodies to slash his tally by nearly a million votes, triggering a second round.

Flanked by three ambassadors, the head of the UN in Afghanistan and US senator John Kerry, Mr Karzai admitted he did not have the overall majority to claim a second term.

While no-one acknowledged the spectacular first-round fraud, Mr Kerry admitted that it had been a "less than perfect election".

Many observers fear a second round will suffer from the same problems as the first.

British troops could face similar pressures in the run-up to August's election – the army suffered their bloodiest month in July as they helped maintain security ahead of Afghan elections, losing a total of 22 service personnel.

The Taleban have also threatened to disrupt the vote – it attacked polling stations in the first.

"It is going to be a historic period," Mr Karzai said, with none of the animation or charisma that typifies his usual manner. "Fourteen days from today, the people of Afghanistan will go to the polling stations again."

At the podium next to him, Mr Kerry praised the president for his "genuine leadership" and statesmanship, although by accepting a second round Mr Karzai was simply abiding by Afghan law.

Mr Karzai looked less than happy alongside Mr Kerry and his cohort of ambassadors, even as the praise continued.

"His agreement to move the process forward with respect to the run-off will allow the national leadership to govern with legitimacy," Mr Kerry added.

"Dr Abdullah Abdullah (Karzai's main rival] has made the same decision. Both have demonstrated their commitment to building a lasting democracy."

It was a thin veneer to conceal a week of fierce diplomatic efforts to stop Mr Karzai doing the exact opposite.

Less than 24 hours earlier, the president told senior cabinet ministers that he planned to reject the findings of the Electoral Complaints Commission, citing foreign meddling in a sovereign process.

A boycott would have led to political deadlock at best, with a high probability of violent protests.

Gordon Brown phoned Mr Karzai twice last week to stress the importance of due process and the rule of law, reinforcing similar messages from US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon.

The White House hinted that it would not send more troops, as part of the Obama administration's revamped Afghanistan strategy, unless there was a credible partner in Kabul.

"While this election could have remained unresolved to the detriment of the country, president Karzai's constructive actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan's new democracy," US president Barack Obama said in a statement yesterday.

Mr Brown commended Mr Karzai's "statesmanlike" behaviour, while the EU ambassador to Afghanistan congratulated the Afghan people.

Dr Abdullah has branded the Independent Election Commission (IEC) – which ran the poll – "corrupt and incompetent". When the IEC announced final certified results yesterday, it appeared to have massaged the figures in Mr Karzai's favour.