Afghan leadership decision brings relief

By The Associated Press Comments 0
Published: November 3, 2009

KABUL — Afghanistan’s election commission proclaimed President Hamid Karzai the victor of the country’s tumultuous ballot Monday, canceling a planned runoff and ending a political crisis two and a half months after a fraud-marred first round.

Multimedia

Photoview all photos

More Info

Attacks bring

Deadly toll

BAGHDAD — Nearly half of all Iraqis who died in October perished in a single coordinated attack against government offices in Baghdad, a tally by The Associated Press shows.

Of the 364 Iraqis killed over the past month, 155 died in two nearly simultaneous bombs targeting government buildings Oct. 25.

In a nod toward Iraqi concerns, special U.N. envoy Oscar Fernandez-Taranco met Monday with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and senior government officials as part of "preliminary consultations on the incidents surrounding” the blast.

The U.N.’s decision to send the special envoy to Baghdad came before the October attacks.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Obama administration — which has been waiting for a government deemed legitimate to emerge in Kabul before announcing whether to deploy tens of thousands more troops — quickly commended the ruling.

"We congratulate President Karzai on his victory in this historic election and look forward to working with him” to support reform and improve security, the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

The cancellation of Saturday’s vote came one day after former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah announced he was pulling out of the Nov. 7 vote. Abdullah said the ballot would not have been fair.

The annulment is a huge relief to organizers who were scrambling to hold the election before the onset of Afghanistan’s harsh winter, as well as to authorities who feared a wave of bloody violence on polling day after a Taliban spokesman threatened attacks against anyone who took part.

The U.S. statement said the commission’s decision was in line with "its mandate under Afghan law.”

Karzai has led Afghanistan since U.S. forces invaded in 2001.

The U.S. will have to find a way to work with the Afghan leader, who openly criticizing U.S. military tactics.