Karzai Decision On UN Recount Due Soon

PRAGUE -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai is expected to announce shortly how he will "set the stage" for resolving his country's post-election political crisis.
 

On October 19, the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) announced that it had thrown out nearly a third of the votes cast for Karzai in the August 20 vote, leaving the incumbent leader with only 48.29 percent of the vote -- below the 50 percent threshold needed for a win.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters at the State Department that Karzai plans to make an announcement October 20, but she did not say whether he has decided to accept the findings of the investigation, which set the stage for a runoff.

But Clinton said she was "encouraged" by the direction the process is taking.

Run-Off Likely

The result raises the prospect that Karzai will need to participate in a run-off election if he wants to be seen as a legitimate leader in the eyes of his own people and the U.S. government and its NATO allies, many of which are helping fight the country's insurgents.

Under Afghanistan's constitution, if none of the candidates receive 50 percent plus one vote, a second round is to take place between the two candidates who received the majority of the votes.

Results from the first election gave Karzai a first-round victory, with 54 percent of the vote. Karzai's main rival, Abdullah Abdullah received 28 percent of the preliminary tally. The adjusted results give Abdullah more than 30 percent.

The ECC has given its report to the Afghan-led Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which is responsible for officially adjusting individual candidates' tallies and certifying the final results.

Under Afghan law, the ECC's decisions and orders are final and binding, and the IEC is required to implement them in determining the final results.

Grant Kippen, the ECC chairman, told reporters in Kabul that a final decision rests with the Afghan panel.

"Our responsibility, under the law, is to work through all of these different complaints and come to decisions, and then once we do, then it's the responsibility of [the Independent Election Commission] then to make the necessary adjustments, calculations to the preliminary results, the final preliminary results," Kippen said.

"Once they do that, once they carry out all the instructions within our orders, then they are free to then go forward and certify the final results. So it will be the IEC that actually determines whether or not there's going to be a second round," he added.

Karzai Pledge

Karzai has in recent weeks asserted that he is the rightful winner of the August poll. After the auditors' findings were released, U.N. spokesman Aleem Siddique said a runoff "isn't optional."

The White House is urging the Afghan government to do what's needed to assure a legitimate result.

On October 19 spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "Obviously, determinations are going to be made by the ECC, by the IEC, and then it's going to be incredibly important for the world to see that Afghan leaders are willing to make this process legitimate, and that's the process that we're encouraging."

Hours after the results were announced, Karzai pledged to "fully respect the constitutional order," according to a UN spokeswoman.
 
Michele Montas said Karzai made the pledge to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a telephone call.

Restoring Faith

In Kabul, Karzai campaign spokesman Waheed Omar said the president was waiting for a decision by the Afghan commission.

"Once there is a final certified result and declared constitutionally by the Independent Election Commission, we have remained respectful to the process and we are definitely going to commit to that result and will respect that result," he said.

The new adjusted figures give the president's main rival Abdullah 31.5 percent of the vote, and on Monday, the former Afghan foreign minister said a run-off election would restore faith in the democratic process.

Speaking on National Public Radio, he said a second election "would not be perfect" but would correct the fraud that he says took place during the first election.

RFE/RL's Afghan Service contributed to this report.