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Vote counting after Afghanistan's election - Source: Reuters -
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A UN panel annulled ballots from dozens of polling stations in
Afghanistan's presidential election, kicking off a lengthy fraud
investigation that could keep Afghans locked in political
uncertainty for months.
The August 20 election has alarmed the West whose troops are
involved in an increasingly unpopular military mission.
President Hamid Karzai, on course to win in a single round
unless the fraud watchdog overturns the outcome, has defended the
vote as honest.
Preliminary results gave Karzai 54 percent of valid votes tallied
this week - enough to avoid a runoff with his closest rival, former
foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah.
Western powers originally praised the ballot as a success in a
country where the Taliban insurgency is now at its fiercest.
However confidence in Karzai's handling of the vote has eroded
as allegations of fraud have continued to mount.
An Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), appointed mainly by the
United Nations, can veto the tally and has said it has found
evidence of fraud.
It ordered a partial vote recount this week.
In a statement on Thursday, the ECC said it had already cancelled
all ballots at dozens of polling stations in Ghazni, Paktika and
Kandahar provinces - its first step in a complicated process that
officials have said could last weeks, if not months.
"Investigation and subsequent decisions were taken in response to
complaints received by the ECC during the polling and counting
period," said the commission, run by a Canadian.
Most places included areas where pro-Karzai voting was particularly
visible.
In Paktika, one of the provinces, Karzai got 91.9% against
Abdullah's 3.8%, according to preliminary partial results issued
this week.
The ECC said it had found a number of indicators of fraud such as
unfolded and miscounted ballots, votes for candidates inserted
inside bundles for other candidates, and lists of voters with
numerous fictitious card numbers.
It did not say how many votes it has invalidated in total so
far.
Based on preliminary results released with 91% of polling
stations tallied, more than 400,000 ballots for Karzai would have
to be annulled to require a second round.
Facing mounting diplomatic awkwardness over an election with
disputed credibility, the West has distanced itself from the
investigation but has expressed broad concerns.
"The European Union expects that all authorities and stakeholders
will conscientiously respect the Electoral Law and refrain from
pre-judging any result until it has been properly certified," said
Sweden, which currently holds EU presidency.
Recipe for instability
These concerns have galvanised Abdullah and his supporters who have
condemned the election as rigged.
"I'm not talking about just my own supporters, but those who cast
their vote for Mr Karzai," Abdullah told BBC radio.
"Their vote is now part of the fraud. And on top of that, a
fraudulent outcome: illegitimate rule for another five years.
"I think this in itself is a recipe for instability in this
country," he added.
Security and instability remain big concerns as a resurgent Taliban
continue to gain strength across the country, including long-quiet
and peaceful areas in northern Afghanistan.
A security map by policy research group the International Council
on Security and Development has shown a deepening security crisis
with substantial Taliban activity in at least 97% of the
country.
Despite election allegations, Karzai has praised officials for
carrying out the vote with honesty and impartiality.
Complete preliminary results are expected on Saturday, a
spokesman for the election commission said.
The ECC has now ordered a recount from polling stations where one
candidate received more than 95% of the vote or more votes were
cast than the expected maximum of 600.
"Unless the 'clear and convincing evidence of fraud' found by the
ECC is addressed, it will be impossible to determine the will of
the Afghan people," the National Democratic Institute, a US
non-profit group which monitored the poll, said in a statement.
