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| Sack Afghan poll officials - UN | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said the UN wants more than half the top officials involved in Afghanistan's election replaced. | |
| Mr Ban told the BBC that 200 officials who had been complicit in fraud should go, to ensure a run-off vote due next month was "transparent and credible". | |
| World leaders have welcomed the acceptance by President Hamid Karzai that he had not won the poll outright. | |
| It came after a UN-backed panel lowered Mr Karzai's vote share below 50%. | It came after a UN-backed panel lowered Mr Karzai's vote share below 50%. |
| The UN investigation found evidence of vote-rigging on a massive scale in the August election. | |
| The second round, between Mr Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, has been scheduled for 7 November. | |
| The president said it was "time to move forward to stability and national unity", while Mr Abdullah said the run-off would "help democracy in this country and strengthen the faith of the people in the democratic process". | The president said it was "time to move forward to stability and national unity", while Mr Abdullah said the run-off would "help democracy in this country and strengthen the faith of the people in the democratic process". |
| Meanwhile the BBC's Andrew North in Kabul says there are indications that President Karzai and Mr Abdullah may reach some kind of deal, meaning that the run-off may not be required. | |
| 'All necessary measures' | 'All necessary measures' |
| Speaking in New York on Tuesday, Mr Ban said the UN had learned "quite a painful lesson" after seeing the widespread fraud in August. | Speaking in New York on Tuesday, Mr Ban said the UN had learned "quite a painful lesson" after seeing the widespread fraud in August. |
| We have made it clear to the Afghan government, we made it clear to the Security Council that there was fraud we wanted to rectify. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon UN chief on Afghan poll | We have made it clear to the Afghan government, we made it clear to the Security Council that there was fraud we wanted to rectify. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon UN chief on Afghan poll |
| "We realised that it was quite difficult for a young democracy to stand on its own, even with strong international assistance, particularly by the UN," he told the BBC's Barbara Plett. | "We realised that it was quite difficult for a young democracy to stand on its own, even with strong international assistance, particularly by the UN," he told the BBC's Barbara Plett. |
| To ensure that mistakes were not repeated, he said the UN would advise the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) not to re-recruit officials who may have been involved in fraud. | To ensure that mistakes were not repeated, he said the UN would advise the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) not to re-recruit officials who may have been involved in fraud. |
| "We will try to replace all the officials who have been implicated in not following the guidelines or who have been complicit in fraudulent procedures." | "We will try to replace all the officials who have been implicated in not following the guidelines or who have been complicit in fraudulent procedures." |
| KARZAI V ABDULLAH Hamid Karzai: First popularly elected president of AfghanistanOpposed Soviet occupation in 1980sCritics say he has done little to rein in corruption Abdullah Abdullah: Tajik-Pashtun, doctor by professionSenior Northern Alliance leader during Taliban ruleRemoved from Karzai's cabinet in 2006 Profile: Hamid Karzai Profile: Abdullah Abdullah | KARZAI V ABDULLAH Hamid Karzai: First popularly elected president of AfghanistanOpposed Soviet occupation in 1980sCritics say he has done little to rein in corruption Abdullah Abdullah: Tajik-Pashtun, doctor by professionSenior Northern Alliance leader during Taliban ruleRemoved from Karzai's cabinet in 2006 Profile: Hamid Karzai Profile: Abdullah Abdullah |
| Mr Ban added: "We will also try to visit all the polling stations to make sure that no such fraud can happen." | Mr Ban added: "We will also try to visit all the polling stations to make sure that no such fraud can happen." |
| The secretary general also dismissed charges that the UN tried to cover up the extent of the widespread fraud in the first round vote, saying the issue had been not to hide it, but how best to deal with it. | The secretary general also dismissed charges that the UN tried to cover up the extent of the widespread fraud in the first round vote, saying the issue had been not to hide it, but how best to deal with it. |
| "We have made it clear to the Afghan government, and we made it clear to the Security Council, that there was fraud we wanted to rectify," he said. | "We have made it clear to the Afghan government, and we made it clear to the Security Council, that there was fraud we wanted to rectify," he said. |
| "We really wanted to provide a full opportunity to all the Afghan people so they could cast their free vote to elect their next leader." | "We really wanted to provide a full opportunity to all the Afghan people so they could cast their free vote to elect their next leader." |
| 'Statesmanlike' | 'Statesmanlike' |
| Since the disputed first round of polling, there has been intensive Western lobbying of Afghanistan's leaders to resolve the weeks of political paralysis. | Since the disputed first round of polling, there has been intensive Western lobbying of Afghanistan's leaders to resolve the weeks of political paralysis. |
| The White House - debating a request for 40,000 more US troops to be sent to Afghanistan - warned at the weekend that no more soldiers would be deployed until a political resolution was reached. | The White House - debating a request for 40,000 more US troops to be sent to Afghanistan - warned at the weekend that no more soldiers would be deployed until a political resolution was reached. |
| President Hamid Karzai: "This is a good step forward" | President Hamid Karzai: "This is a good step forward" |
| President Barack Obama welcomed news of the run-off, saying: "It is now vital that all elements of Afghan society continue to come together to advance democracy, peace and justice." | President Barack Obama welcomed news of the run-off, saying: "It is now vital that all elements of Afghan society continue to come together to advance democracy, peace and justice." |
| British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also welcomed the "statesmanlike" move. | British Prime Minister Gordon Brown also welcomed the "statesmanlike" move. |
| Initial election results suggested Mr Karzai, the incumbent, had received 55% of the vote, and former foreign minister Mr Abdullah 28%. | Initial election results suggested Mr Karzai, the incumbent, had received 55% of the vote, and former foreign minister Mr Abdullah 28%. |
| But on Monday the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) ordered that ballots from 210 of the 380 electoral districts be discounted. | But on Monday the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) ordered that ballots from 210 of the 380 electoral districts be discounted. |
| This meant Mr Karzai's total was reduced to below the threshold required for outright victory - 50% plus one vote - indicating a second round was needed. | This meant Mr Karzai's total was reduced to below the threshold required for outright victory - 50% plus one vote - indicating a second round was needed. |
| The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says there is no guarantee that any new vote will be free of the fraud that dogged the first round. | The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says there is no guarantee that any new vote will be free of the fraud that dogged the first round. |
| But for now the political deadlock appears to have been broken, for a couple of weeks at least, our correspondent says. | But for now the political deadlock appears to have been broken, for a couple of weeks at least, our correspondent says. |