This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/8335194.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 1 | Version 2 |
---|---|
Abdullah 'may quit Afghan poll' | |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Abdullah Abdullah, President Hamid Karzai's rival in the second round of Afghanistan's presidential poll, is reportedly close to quitting the poll. | |
Mr Abdullah called for the resignation of key election officials, cabinet ministers and provincial governors as a way to mitigate fraud and corruption. | |
The deadline for those conditions to be met expires on Saturday. | |
A senior adviser told the BBC that in talks on Friday, Mr Abdullah decided he would not take part in the poll. | |
But the BBC's Ian Pannell, in Kabul, says this does not mean he is officially withdrawing. | |
Instead, Mr Abdullah may simply tell his supporters that he will not take part and that they should do likewise. | |
In a meeting with President Karzai earlier this week, Mr Abdullah's demands for resignations were turned down. | |
But this election has been a protracted and murky affair, our correspondent says, and until an official announcement is made, the details of any final decision on whether Mr Abdullah is standing won't be known. | |
Hundreds of thousands of votes were discounted from August's first round of voting. | |
The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission's (ECC) action meant Mr Karzai's total was reduced to below the 50% plus one vote threshold for outright victory, indicating a run-off poll was needed. | The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission's (ECC) action meant Mr Karzai's total was reduced to below the 50% plus one vote threshold for outright victory, indicating a run-off poll was needed. |
'Nothing has changed' | 'Nothing has changed' |
Among the "minimum conditions" Mr Abdullah has set for holding a relatively fair and free contest to be accepted, is sacking of the head of the country's Independent Election Commission (IEC), Azizullah Lodin. | |
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 class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/3135938.stm">Profile: Hamid Karzai class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/1672882.stm">Profile: Abdullah Abdullah | |
On Monday, the former foreign minister said Mr Lodin had "no credibility". Mr Lodin denies allegations that he favoured Mr Karzai. | On Monday, the former foreign minister said Mr Lodin had "no credibility". Mr Lodin denies allegations that he favoured Mr Karzai. |
One of Mr Abdullah's senior advisers, Ahmed Wali Massoud, said he was unhappy that nothing had been done to redress the electoral system's problems. | One of Mr Abdullah's senior advisers, Ahmed Wali Massoud, said he was unhappy that nothing had been done to redress the electoral system's problems. |
"The fact is that the infrastructure of this fraud is still there. Almost 1.5 million votes were rigged. Nothing has changed," he told the BBC. | "The fact is that the infrastructure of this fraud is still there. Almost 1.5 million votes were rigged. Nothing has changed," he told the BBC. |
"So if you go back and do the second round election, it means that it will happen again. So, therefore, I don't think that we would be willing to participate." | "So if you go back and do the second round election, it means that it will happen again. So, therefore, I don't think that we would be willing to participate." |
An announcement might come as early as Saturday but was more likely on Sunday, people close to Mr Abdullah told the Associated Press. | An announcement might come as early as Saturday but was more likely on Sunday, people close to Mr Abdullah told the Associated Press. |
Earlier, the Independent Election Commission announced that it planned to open 6,322 polling stations for the run-off - more than it did during the first round. | Earlier, the Independent Election Commission announced that it planned to open 6,322 polling stations for the run-off - more than it did during the first round. |
The Electoral Complaints Commission had recommended cutting the number from 6,000 to about 5,800 - to make sure there would be enough monitors to limit fraud and troops to ensure security. | The Electoral Complaints Commission had recommended cutting the number from 6,000 to about 5,800 - to make sure there would be enough monitors to limit fraud and troops to ensure security. |