You have commented 339 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Afghanistan
US envoy, Karzai lock horns over Afghan poll
2009-08-29
[Iran Press TV Latest] A meeting between incumbent Hamid Karzai and US special envoy for Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke has ended with harsh exchanges over controversial presidential elections.

A number of senior sources said Holbrooke complained about ballot stuffing and the use of fraud by Karzai's campaign team in the August 20 presidential and provincial council elections. The Washington envoy also emphasized a second-round run-off could "make the election process more credible" which have been marred by claims of vote rigging and Taliban intimidation.
Assuming there's a need for a second round, of course ...
The president reacted very angrily and the meeting ended shortly afterwards, according to a BBC report.
Our dear special envoy, Mr. Holbrooke, has a special talent for making friends and influencing people.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy in the capital Kabul refused to discuss the details of the meeting. She denied Holbrooke had stormed out or there had been any shouting by the president.
Very special talent. Oh, almost forgot: perish the thought that anyone shouted.
The latest election results show that Hamid Karzai has widened his lead in the Afghan presidential race. The president has 42 percent of the ballots counted so far, compared with 33 percent for his main rival Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai is reported to have garnered 422,137 votes with his main challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah, holding 330,751 ballots.

A candidate must garner more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round to avoid a run-off in October.

Results are being released daily; however, it can take several weeks before the official results are announced.

Abdullah has also claimed that he has evidence that the vote was widely rigged in favor of the incumbent president. Karzai's campaign team denies the allegations and says the president has received reports of widespread fraud committed by Abdullah supporters.

Meanwhile, both Karzai and Abdullah have claimed victory in the crucial polls. The election is the second presidential vote held since US-led troops invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

Fractions have emerged between Washington and Karzai administration since some past months. Karzai says the US-led forces are responsible for deteriorating situation in the war-ravaged south Asian country. The president has frequently slammed the NATO forces over civilian causalities and their disregard for local culture.

Senior US officials, on the other hand, have accused the Karzai-led government of corruption and bad governance.
Posted by:Fred

#1  The Washington envoy also emphasized a second-round run-off could "make the election process more credible" which have been marred by claims of vote rigging and Taliban intimidation.

They can make a tenth-round run-off and still have "A number of senior sources said Holbrooke complained blah, blah, blah...
Posted by: Willy   2009-08-29 14:29  

00:00