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| Afghan election run-off cancelled | |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Next Saturday's Afghan presidential election run-off has been cancelled by officials from the independent election commission have announced. | |
| The decision comes a day after sole challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out, leaving only President Hamid Karzai in the race. | The decision comes a day after sole challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out, leaving only President Hamid Karzai in the race. |
| Dr Abdullah, who had demanded key poll officials quit, said he was quitting as he did not think it would be fair. | Dr Abdullah, who had demanded key poll officials quit, said he was quitting as he did not think it would be fair. |
| The first round of the vote in August was marred by mass electoral fraud. | The first round of the vote in August was marred by mass electoral fraud. |
| "We declare Hamid Karzai, which [sic] got the majority of votes in the first round and is the only candidate for the second round of the election in Afghanistan in 2009... is the elected president of Afghanistan," said a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission in a news conference. | |
| He said the second round was being scrapped to save money, and to prevent further setbacks which could damage Afghanistan politically and economically. | |
| President Karzai had been the favourite to win the run-off after gaining more votes in the first round on 20 August. | President Karzai had been the favourite to win the run-off after gaining more votes in the first round on 20 August. |
| The BBC's Andrew North in Kabul says a key reason for holding a run-off was to try to restore some legitimacy to the election after the discredited first round. | The BBC's Andrew North in Kabul says a key reason for holding a run-off was to try to restore some legitimacy to the election after the discredited first round. |
| He says the cancellation of the 7 November vote seems the most unsatisfactory outcome to the whole process. | He says the cancellation of the 7 November vote seems the most unsatisfactory outcome to the whole process. |
| Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Kabul and said Afghanistan's troubled election had been among "the most difficult the United Nations has ever supported". | Earlier on Monday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Kabul and said Afghanistan's troubled election had been among "the most difficult the United Nations has ever supported". |