Karzai in front but run-off is looming

Published on Wednesday 26 August 2009 22:10

PARTIAL results from last week's election put Afghan president Hamid Karzai ahead of main rival Abdullah Abdullah, but not by enough to avoid a second round run-off in October, figures released last night showed.

With 17 per cent of votes tallied, Mr Karzai held a lead of 43 per cent to 34 per cent over the former foreign minister.

Mr Abdullah has accused Mr Karzai of widespread rigging, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation, claims that Mr Karzai's camp has denied.

The results have been trickling in over the past week, leaving the country in political limbo. To avoid a run-off, a candidate must secure more than 50 per cent of the vote.

Election officials have warned against drawing conclusions about the final count from the small initial samples. They have promised to provide daily updates but the complete count is not due until 3 September.

The results suggest a disappointing turnout of only about 5.5 million votes in a country of some 30 million people. The total number of eligible voters is put at around 15 million.

The Taleban yesterday denied responsibility for a bombing that killed at least 43 people in

Kandahar two hours after the first batch of election results.