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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai approves August date for Afghan polls |
| 2009-03-08 |
| Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday presidential elections would go ahead on August 20 and called for a "national consensus" to decide on who should rule the country after his term ends in May. Karzai, under huge pressure from the United Nations, the United States and other Afghan allies to support the August date set by the election commission, caused a stir last week when he called for an April ballot. But on Saturday the president told a press conference he accepted the election commission's decision. "I accept the decision of the election commission ... and I call on all sides to respect the decision and allow the commission to do their job," he said. Karzai's political opponents, including several potential candidates, have called on him to hand over power to an interim administration when his term ends, particularly if he decides to stand for a second term in office. |
| Posted by:Fred |