Karzai declared elected president of Afghanistan
Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Afghan electoral officials declared incumbent President Hamid Karzai the winner of the 2009 presidential election Monday, after canceling this weekend's second round of voting.
Observers say Karzai's real test will be whether he can form a government that is seen as legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people and the international community.
The Independent Electoral Commission made the announcement after they canceled Saturday's presidential runoff following the withdrawal of opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
A runoff could have been held with just one candidate, but commission president Azizullah Lodin said electoral officials decided to cancel the second round of voting for several reasons, including security and money.
The decision was made just a couple of hours before the announcement, according to IEC deputy Zakria Barakzai.
Afghans went to the polls on August 20 in a vote marred by widespread fraud. Karzai had initially claimed victory, but two months after the vote, a U.N.-backed panel of election monitors threw out nearly a third of his votes, citing fraud. When that left Karzai short of a majority, he agreed to the runoff.
Abdullah had called for the resignations of top election officials and politicians to avert electoral fraud in the runoff.
He argued that the commissioners, who are hired by Karzai, cannot be impartial. But that request was not met, Abdullah said Sunday, and he did not believe a transparent election was possible.
"I want this to be an example for the future so that no one again tries to use fraud to abuse the rights of the Afghan people," Abdullah told reporters.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kabul on Monday, hours before the commission's announcement.
He issued a statement welcoming the decision, congratulating Karzai, and restating the U.N.'s commitment to supporting the new government.
"This has been a difficult election process for Afghanistan and lessons must be learned," Ban said in the statement. "Afghanistan now faces significant challenges and the new president must move swiftly to form a government that is able to command the support of both the Afghan people and the international community."
On Monday, Ban met with both Karzai and Abdullah, as well as U.N. officials, including Kai Eide, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement Monday welcoming the commission's decision and congratulating Karzai.
The cancellation of the runoff "puts the election issue behind us," but Karzai has yet to achieve a true victory, according to former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
"Now the key issue is how the Afghan people will react to this, what kind of government will President Karzai put together, and how the international community will react," Khalilzad told CNN's "American Morning."
"We're in a new stage now in Afghanistan."
Khalilzad had predicted last week that Abdullah would quit the race, in an interview for CNN's "Amanpour."
"First, he doesn't have much money left," he said in the interview, which aired on Sunday. "Second, I think that he thinks that given the situation, he's likely to lose, and maybe he'll get less votes than he did in the first round, so that would be embarrassing."
Speaking to CNN following his withdrawal, Abdullah said his decision does not mean he has given up public life.
"I will be available to serve this country," he said. "At this stage, I am in consultation with my followers, with my supporters and a movement for change will be there and I will lead that movement. There is no doubt about it."
Karzai served as acting president following the removal of the Taliban regime in 2001, then secured a victory in the 2004 elections. He begins his second term in office amid a Taliban resurgence.
The militants claimed responsibility for a Wednesday attack that killed five United Nations workers -- two of whom were helping with the vote. Nine others were wounded after attackers stormed a guest house in Kabul. In response, the United Nations ordered nonessential personnel out of the country.
International troop levels increased this year to provide security for the Afghan election in August, and the United States is considering deploying more troops.
Attacks against U.S. and NATO forces have also spiked: 59 American troops died in Afghanistan in October, the highest U.S. monthly toll since the war began eight years ago.
CNN's Jonathan Wald in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.
source :http://edition.cnn.com
Observers say Karzai's real test will be whether he can form a government that is seen as legitimate in the eyes of the Afghan people and the international community.
The Independent Electoral Commission made the announcement after they canceled Saturday's presidential runoff following the withdrawal of opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah.
A runoff could have been held with just one candidate, but commission president Azizullah Lodin said electoral officials decided to cancel the second round of voting for several reasons, including security and money.
The decision was made just a couple of hours before the announcement, according to IEC deputy Zakria Barakzai.
Afghans went to the polls on August 20 in a vote marred by widespread fraud. Karzai had initially claimed victory, but two months after the vote, a U.N.-backed panel of election monitors threw out nearly a third of his votes, citing fraud. When that left Karzai short of a majority, he agreed to the runoff.
Abdullah had called for the resignations of top election officials and politicians to avert electoral fraud in the runoff.
He argued that the commissioners, who are hired by Karzai, cannot be impartial. But that request was not met, Abdullah said Sunday, and he did not believe a transparent election was possible.
"I want this to be an example for the future so that no one again tries to use fraud to abuse the rights of the Afghan people," Abdullah told reporters.
Meanwhile, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kabul on Monday, hours before the commission's announcement.
He issued a statement welcoming the decision, congratulating Karzai, and restating the U.N.'s commitment to supporting the new government.
"This has been a difficult election process for Afghanistan and lessons must be learned," Ban said in the statement. "Afghanistan now faces significant challenges and the new president must move swiftly to form a government that is able to command the support of both the Afghan people and the international community."
On Monday, Ban met with both Karzai and Abdullah, as well as U.N. officials, including Kai Eide, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan.
The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement Monday welcoming the commission's decision and congratulating Karzai.
The cancellation of the runoff "puts the election issue behind us," but Karzai has yet to achieve a true victory, according to former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad.
"Now the key issue is how the Afghan people will react to this, what kind of government will President Karzai put together, and how the international community will react," Khalilzad told CNN's "American Morning."
"We're in a new stage now in Afghanistan."
Khalilzad had predicted last week that Abdullah would quit the race, in an interview for CNN's "Amanpour."
"First, he doesn't have much money left," he said in the interview, which aired on Sunday. "Second, I think that he thinks that given the situation, he's likely to lose, and maybe he'll get less votes than he did in the first round, so that would be embarrassing."
Speaking to CNN following his withdrawal, Abdullah said his decision does not mean he has given up public life.
"I will be available to serve this country," he said. "At this stage, I am in consultation with my followers, with my supporters and a movement for change will be there and I will lead that movement. There is no doubt about it."
Karzai served as acting president following the removal of the Taliban regime in 2001, then secured a victory in the 2004 elections. He begins his second term in office amid a Taliban resurgence.
The militants claimed responsibility for a Wednesday attack that killed five United Nations workers -- two of whom were helping with the vote. Nine others were wounded after attackers stormed a guest house in Kabul. In response, the United Nations ordered nonessential personnel out of the country.
International troop levels increased this year to provide security for the Afghan election in August, and the United States is considering deploying more troops.
Attacks against U.S. and NATO forces have also spiked: 59 American troops died in Afghanistan in October, the highest U.S. monthly toll since the war began eight years ago.
CNN's Jonathan Wald in Kabul, Afghanistan contributed to this report.
source :http://edition.cnn.com
posted by VICKY at
11/03/2009 12:49:00 AM
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