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Karzai named winner as run-off is cancelled
Bo Wilson02.11.09
Hamid Karzai was declared Afghanistan's elected president today after officials cancelled the second round election run-off.
The decision was announced by Independent Election Commission chairman Azizullah Ludin.
President Karzai's main challenger Abdullah Abdullah pulled out of the race yesterday claiming that the vote could not be free or fair. Demands made by Mr Abdullah had included the sacking of Mr Ludin.
The run-off had been called amid alegations of widespread fraud in August's election that saw Mr Karzai voted in as president.
The way for Mr Karzai was cleared by the US when Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear the Obama administration would work with him, saying: "We will support the next president and the people of Afghanistan, who seek and deserve a better future."
White House adviser David Axelrod said: "We're going to deal with the government that is there and obviously there are issues we need to discuss, such as reducing the high level of corruption there. These are issues we'll take up with President Karzai."
Mr Axelrod said Mr Abdullah "made a political decision" to quit the run-off and it was likely he would have been defeated.
Senior White House officials said Mr Abdullah's decision to drop out would not complicate deliberations on the war strategy.
Mr Axelrod said he expected President Obama would "make a decision within weeks" on sending more troops into the country.
Earlier today, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon visited Kabul and said Afghanistan's election was among "the most difficult the United Nations has ever supported".
President Karzai, who insists that allegations of fraud in the first round were overstated, had only agreed to a run-off after intense diplomatic pressure.
But Mr Abdullah, a former foreign minister, said he saw no point in standing after none of his demands was met. He stopped short of calling for a boycott at the polls and urged followers "not to go to the streets or demonstrate".
Yesterday, Gordon Brown said that he "hoped to see an Afghan government emerge that responds to the will of the people, that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society".
He added that he had told Mr Karzai it was now imperative that he formed an "inclusive administration" that could tackle corruption.
