The Washington Post
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Afghanistan's troubled presidential election was thrown into further turmoil Tuesday when a U.N.-backed complaints panel charged widespread fraud and ordered a partial recount, just as election officials announced that President Hamid Karzai appeared to have gained enough votes to win.
The growing political crisis threatens to create a direct confrontation between Karzai and his Western backers, who have been increasingly alarmed by mounting evidence of ballot box stuffing and other irregularities, much of it reportedly benefiting Karzai's campaign.
In the days immediately following the Aug. 20 Afghan vote, U.S. officials were uniform in praising what President Obama called "a successful election." Obama said he looked forward "to renewing our partnership with the Afghan people as they move ahead under a new government."
But the widening fraud issue now seems likely to further prolong the slow election process, leaving the country without a clear leader for weeks or even months while tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops are battling the Taliban alongside Afghan forces. Obama's strategy also includes major economic development initiatives, improved delivery of services, and a crackdown on corruption -- all of which will be difficult to implement without a valid Afghan government.
The unresolved political contest raises the prospect of street protests by angry opponents of Karzai, or a belated runoff that could be volatile, costly and difficult to carry out once cold weather sets in. Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's top challenger in the presidential race, has charged the entire vote was a "state engineered fraud," and hinted he may not be able to control his emotional supporters.
In a strongly worded statement issued Tuesday, the internationally-led Electoral Complaints Commission said it had found "clear and convincing evidence of fraud" in many polling stations, especially across the southern provinces that form Karzai's ethnic support base. The panel said it was ordering the Afghan election commission to conduct a recount of votes from all polling places where turnout appeared to be more than 100 percent, or where a single candidate received 95 percent or more of the votes. The commission is continuing separate investigations into more than 2,000 specific fraud complaints.
Just hours later, the election commission said that Karzai had won 54 percent of 5.4 million valid votes tallied -- 91 percent of the total.
At a contentious news conference, election commission spokesman Ali Najafi said officials had "quarantined" about 600 suspicious ballot boxes, but offered no initial response to the written recount order.
