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Karzai declared Afghan president
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-11-03 08:23
KABUL: Afghanistan's election commission declared Hamid Karzai elected as president yesterday after it called off a runoff 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 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 said.
Ludin said the decision was made to spare the Afghan people the expense and risk of another election and because a one-candidate race would raise questions about the legitimacy of the presidency. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from the race over the weekend, citing doubts about the credibility of the election. "Karzai has lost his legitimacy, he is a very weak president and he cannot govern without reaching out to Dr Abdullah," said Kabul-based political analyst Haroun Mir. "So the ball is in Dr Abdullah's court right now." Karzai's camp on Sunday had ruled out a coalition with Abdullah, but he has been under intense pressure from various quarters to bring Abdullah into the government. Earlier UN chief Ban Ki-moon made an unannounced visit to Kabul to help resolve the 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 August election marred by allegations of fraud in favour of Karzai. A weakened 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. Reuters (China Daily 11/03/2009 page12) |
