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KABUL (AP) — The challenger in Afghanistan’s recent election called President Hamid Karzai’s victory illegal and his government a failure, saying Wednesday the tainted administration would not be able to check corruption or fend off the Taliban.
Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah said he did not plan to personally challenge Karzai’s victory in court, but would leave it up to the Afghan people to decide whether to accept Karzai as the legitimate leader for another five-year term.
The Afghan election commission proclaimed Karzai the victor of the country’s tumultuous ballot Monday after Abdullah withdrew from a runoff race he said could not be free or fair.
The decision ended a political crisis two and a half months after a first round of voting in August was marred by widespread fraud.
It was widely believed Karzai would have won the runoff vote, but Abdullah contended that he was quitting not as a concession, but because he couldn’t trust the process. The Karzai-appointed election commission had rejected reforms for the runoff suggested by the U.N. and a list of conditions set forth by Abdullah’s camp.
Created: 11/4/2009 | Updated: 11/4/2009
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