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Abdullah 'may quit Afghan poll' | Abdullah 'may quit Afghan poll' |
(20 minutes later) | |
Abdullah Abdullah, President Hamid Karzai's rival in the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election, 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. | 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. | The deadline for those conditions to be met expires on Saturday. |
A senior adviser said that in talks on Friday, Mr Abdullah's team decided he should not take part in the poll. | |
The BBC's Ian Pannell, in Kabul, says this does not mean he is officially withdrawing, although Mr Abdullah is expected to decide on his next step this weekend. | |
Mr Abdullah may simply tell his supporters that he will not take part and that they should do likewise, our correspondent says. | |
In a meeting with President Karzai earlier this week, Mr Abdullah's demands for resignations were turned down. | 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 he is standing won't be known. | |
'Nothing has changed' | |
Hundreds of thousands of votes were discounted from August's first round of voting. | 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. |
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. | 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 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 |
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 IEC announced that it planned to open 6,322 polling stations for the run-off - more than it did during the first round. | |
The ECC 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. |