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IEC Ready for Second Round Afghan Vote
[Quqnoos] The Afghan Independent Election Commission has indicated its preparadness for second-round presidential polling, if neededAn IEC spokesman, Noor Mohammad Noor, said on Tuesday that the outcome of last month's election is not decided yet and it is too soon to confirm a run-off, as thousands of fraud allegations challenge the transparency of the first-round vote. Incumbent Hamid Karzai and his closest challenger Abdullah Abdullah are in the lead of the partial preliminary vote count. The IEC on Monday announced that that 47.8 percent of the polling stations have been tallied so far, placing President Karzai in the lead with 45.8 percent and Abdullah second with 33.2. Incumbent Karzai is still short of the necessary votes to avoid a two-man runoff. Some Afghan experts say that the margin between Karzai and Abdullah indicates a possible runoff which, if needed, will be held in October. Nearly 2,500 complaints have been submitted to the Electoral Complaint Commission (ECC), including 567 allegations of serious abuse that may affect the outcome of the Aug 20 Presidential Election. The UN and Afghan Parliament have urged the ECC to seriously probe the complaints in order to satisfy all involved parties. Abdullah, a former foreign minister, has warned observers to not recognise the outcome of the election if cheating becomes the deciding factor. Abdullah said massive rigging occurred on Election Day. To avoid a run-off, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote. The IEC is expected to announce the final official results in 16 September. In the event that the election steps in for a second round, it would be held in October. Posted by: Fred 2009-09-03 |
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