Karzai 'to answer poll criticism'

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

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Page last updated at 23:17 GMT, Monday, 19 October 2009 00:17 UK
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by Nasra Ismail for the BBC's Biodun Iginla

Initial results gave Mr Karzai nearly 55% of the vote
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is set to respond to claims by a UN-backed panel that he did not win recent elections, the US Secretary of State has said.
Hillary Clinton was speaking after the watchdog was understood to have confirmed that Mr Karzai had not gained enough valid votes for an outright win.
Under the poll rules, Mr Karzai should now face his rival in a runoff.
UN officials said Mr Karzai had indicated he would respect the country's constitution.
Mrs Clinton told reporters in Washington that Mr Karzai was "going to announce his intentions" on Tuesday, in response to the investigation by the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC).
Mrs Clinton did not indicate what Mr Karzai's response might be, but said she was "encouraged at the direction that the situation is moving".
She said she was hopeful the political crisis in Afghanistan could begin to be resolved over the next few days, "in line with the constitutional order".
Run-off likely
In its much-anticipated report on Monday, the ECC said it had found "clear and convincing evidence of fraud".

Hillary Clinton: "I am very hopeful that we will see a resolution"
The panel ordered that ballots from 210 polling stations across the country be discounted.
Under the Afghan constitution, the EEC's report passes to the Afghan-led Independent Election Commission (IEC) - appointed by Mr Karzai - which can decide whether to call for a run-off.
The Afghan president has previously refused a run-off, insisting he won the election outright.
Initial results released last month gave him nearly 55% of votes, and his nearest rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, 28%.
The spokeswoman said the president had promised to do so.

ANALYSIS

Lyse Doucet, BBC News, Kabul

When this tangled process began, the ECC, the only electoral body composed of Afghan and foreign representation, was regarded as the "final arbiter".
The IEC's role was to ratify and announce the results. The IEC is accused by many of being too close to a president who appointed all its commissioners. It now says it needs "a day or two" to examine the details of the ECC report.
One source warned of a possible "train crash". Others are still hoping a compromise can emerge at this critical 11th hour.
President Karzai has repeatedly warned foreign countries not to interfere in the election process.
Sources say he firmly believes Western countries, in particular the United States and Britain, are conspiring to rob him of victory.
But following the ECC report on Monday, a UN spokeswoman said Secretary General Ban Ki-moon had urged Mr Karzai to respect the constitutional process and allow a run-off.
According to respected US-based group Democracy International, Mr Karzai's share of the vote has now fallen to 48.29%, and Mr Abdullah has 31.5%.
EU observers have said as many as one in four votes cast were suspicious.
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says the Afghan leader believes an election victory has been stolen from him and had been threatening to block attempts to hold any second round.
But Washington - which has been debating a request for 40,000 more US troops to be sent to Afghanistan - warned at the weekend no more soldiers would be deployed until a political resolution was reached.
A spokesman for the UN mission in Afghanistan praised the ECC for working with "integrity" to investigate complaints about August's election.
"We have complete faith in the work of the Electoral Complaints Commission," said Aleem Siddique.
He said the UN expected the IEC to implement the EEC's orders, "so that we can move towards a final certified result or to a runoff if that's required".
IEC 'stalling'
In the last few days Western leaders and diplomats have engaged in a rapid round of diplomacy to get Mr Karzai to accept the election results.

AFGHAN ELECTION BODIES
Election Commission
Constitutional body appointed by Afghan president to oversee polls
Registers voters, runs polling stations, issues results
Accountable to Afghan parliament and people
Electoral Complaints Commission
Independent panel, two of its five members are Afghans
Investigates allegations of fraud and passes findings to IEC
Reports to IEC but law states IEC must accept ECC findings

Q&A: Afghan election
Afghan poll: Possible outcomes
Endgame for Afghan elections?
The ECC launched its investigation in the wake of the 20 August vote as allegations of mass fraud began to emerge.
The panel reports to the IEC, which will make the final announcement on the election outcome.
The IEC is widely regarded as pro-Karzai, but it is legally bound to accept the ECC's findings.
Diplomats have accused the IEC of stalling to give the president more time to reach a deal with Mr Abdullah, possibly on power-sharing to avoid a run-off.
The BBC's Barbara Plett at the United Nations says the Americans - and their Nato allies - are looking for a second round or a national unity government to inject some legitimacy into the Afghan elections.
They say the government must be legitimate if the US public can be convinced it is worth sending more soldiers to fight in Afghanistan.
With violence at its worst levels across Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted in 2001, there are warnings the ongoing political paralysis will only embolden the militants.
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Posted by BiodunIginla at 1:23 AM Labels: Afghanistan, bbc news.nasra ismail