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/8337832.stm
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 8 | Version 9 |
---|---|
Karzai declared elected president | Karzai declared elected president |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Hamid Karzai has been declared the elected president of Afghanistan by poll officials, after they scrapped the planned second round of the vote. | Hamid Karzai has been declared the elected president of Afghanistan by poll officials, after they scrapped the planned second round of the vote. |
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announcement comes a day after Mr Karzai's sole challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the race. | The Independent Election Commission (IEC) announcement comes a day after Mr Karzai's sole challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the race. |
Dr Abdullah, who had demanded the removal of key poll officials, said the poll would not have been free or 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. |
On Monday IEC spokesman Azizullah Lodin said President Karzai, as "the only candidate for the second round", should "be declared as elected president of Afghanistan". | |
ANALYSIS Andrew North, BBC News, Kabul | ANALYSIS Andrew North, BBC News, Kabul |
The announcement that the run-off vote was being cancelled had been widely expected. All reports suggested it was simply a question of finding the legal means to bring the process to an end. | The announcement that the run-off vote was being cancelled had been widely expected. All reports suggested it was simply a question of finding the legal means to bring the process to an end. |
The point of holding a second round was to try to restore some legitimacy to the process after there was so much fraud - almost a third of votes for President Karzai were invalidated because of massive ballot stuffing. | The point of holding a second round was to try to restore some legitimacy to the process after there was so much fraud - almost a third of votes for President Karzai were invalidated because of massive ballot stuffing. |
Now the second round has been cancelled, largely because of international pressure. It is a very unsatisfactory end, not the end anyone here wished for. At the moment it is being seen as the best of a lot of bad options. | Now the second round has been cancelled, largely because of international pressure. It is a very unsatisfactory end, not the end anyone here wished for. At the moment it is being seen as the best of a lot of bad options. |
But some questions are bound to remain over the legitimacy of the whole process. | But some questions are bound to remain over the legitimacy of the whole process. |
He said the second round on 7 November was being scrapped to save money, for security reasons and to prevent further setbacks that could damage Afghanistan politically and economically. | |
The Taliban, which carried out attacks across the country during the first round, had vowed to disrupt the polls again next Saturday. | The Taliban, which carried out attacks across the country during the first round, had vowed to disrupt the polls again next Saturday. |
The UK welcomed the commission's decision. | |
A spokesman for Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the PM had "spoken to President Karzai to congratulate him on his re-election" and the two men had "discussed the importance of the president moving quickly to set out a unifying programme for the future of Afghanistan". | |
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. |
One of the reasons for holding a deciding vote had been to try to restore some legitimacy to the process after the discredited first round. | One of the reasons for holding a deciding vote had been to try to restore some legitimacy to the process after the discredited first round. |
A number of international figures, including US Senator John Kerry, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr Brown, had been involved in persuading Mr Karzai to accept a run-off. | |
'Not what we wanted' | |
But Dr Abdullah had demanded key officials be removed from the IEC, which is widely regarded as pro-Karzai. | But Dr Abdullah had demanded key officials be removed from the IEC, which is widely regarded as pro-Karzai. |
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". |
The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Kabul says there has been intense discussion in recent days as to whether scrapping the second round would be constitutionally legal. | The BBC's Lyse Doucet in Kabul says there has been intense discussion in recent days as to whether scrapping the second round would be constitutionally legal. |
Some observers are saying Mr Karzai's legitimacy is also in question, and ask whether his government can be effective, adds our correspondent. | Some observers are saying Mr Karzai's legitimacy is also in question, and ask whether his government can be effective, adds our correspondent. |
This would be a particular concern, they add, to US President Barack Obama as he considers whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan. | |
Hundreds of thousands of votes were discounted from August's vote, including almost a third of ballots cast for Mr Karzai. | Hundreds of thousands of votes were discounted from August's vote, including almost a third of ballots cast for Mr Karzai. |
The incumbent's share of the vote was cut to just under the crucial 50% plus one ballot threshold needed for outright victory, following an investigation by the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission. | The incumbent's share of the vote was cut to just under the crucial 50% plus one ballot threshold needed for outright victory, following an investigation by the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission. |
Dr Abdullah - a Tajik-Pashtun former eye surgeon and ex-foreign minister - was adjudged in the end to have won nearly a third of valid votes cast. | Dr Abdullah - a Tajik-Pashtun former eye surgeon and ex-foreign minister - was adjudged in the end to have won nearly a third of valid votes cast. |