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Abdullah accepts November 7 runoff
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Clinton: "The bravery, patience and resilience of the Afghan people has been on display since election day."
KABUL: Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s chief political rival agreed on Wednesday to take part in the November 7 runoff election, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown in the face of Taliban threats and approaching winter snows.
The former Foreign Minister, Abdullah Abdullah, made his comment to reporters one day after Mr. Karzai bowed to intense U.S. and international pressure and accepted findings of a U.N.-backed panel that there had been massive fraud on his behalf in the August 20 vote. Those findings showed Mr. Karzai failed to win the 50 per cent required to avoid a runoff.
As part of efforts to avert cheating in the upcoming ballot, election officials have fired 200 district election chiefs following complaints by candidates or observers about misconduct in their regions, the U.N. said last week. It was not immediately known how many posts in total there were.
Holding the second round of polling as Afghanistan enters its winter season poses serious challenges, both for drawing voters and distributing ballots nationwide, which the U.N. said would begin on Thursday.
Mr. Abdullah said U.S. and Afghan forces also must provide security to prevent a repeat of a wave of Taliban attacks in August that killed dozens. In some areas, militants cut off the ink-marked fingers of people who had voted.
Voters “are taking a risk in some parts of the country and they should be confident that that risk is worthwhile,” said Mr. Abdullah, who said he called Mr. Karzai to thank him for agreeing to hold the second-round. — AP
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