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| Afghanistan |
| Karzai rival Abdullah to quit Afghan run-off |
| 2009-11-01 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] President Hamid Karzai's election rival Abdullah Abdullah was poised Saturday to boycott Afghanistan's run-off presidential election unless Karzai has a last minute change of heart and bows to a series of demands from his rival. Afghan President Hamid Karzai's election rival Abdullah Abdullah will announce on Sunday whether he will take part in next week's disputed run-off vote, as western media reported he would pull out. Abdullah cancelled a planned trip to India on Saturday, just before a deadline he had given Karzai to sack Afghanistan's top election official was to expire. Afghanistan has been racked by weeks of political uncertainty after widespread fraud marred the first round, with security another major concern after a resurgent Taliban vowed to disrupt the Nov. 7 run-off vote. The New York Times, quoting Western diplomats and people close to Abdullah, said Abdullah would announce his withdrawal from the election on Sunday. But the newspaper also said the former foreign minister was keeping his options open until the last minute. "If our conditions are not met today, Dr. Abdullah will announce his decision in a conference tomorrow (Sunday)," a senior official in his campaign team told AFP on condition of anonymity. |
| Posted by:Fred |