Afghan run-off cancelled, Karzai declared winner

The New York Times is reporting that incumbent president Hamid Karzai has been declared the winner of Afghanistan's presidential election after a scheduled run-off was canceled. The run-off that was to be held on November 7 was canceled after principle opposition leader Abdullah Abdullah withdrew. The disputed election has delayed the United States from making a final decision to deploy additional troops in Afghanistan for counterinsurgency operations or shifting its strategy to prosecute Qaeda elements in Pakistan.

Abdullah Abdullah Withdraws from the Race

Days after sitting Afghan president Hamid Karzai agreed to a runoff election, his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah announced he was withdrawing from the race. Over a million ballots from the August 20 election were thrown out due to fraud, pushing Karzai below the 50 percent margin required for presidential elections. A second round is scheduled for November 7, but Abdullah said that the Afghan electoral system is so wracked with corruption that no outcome would be legitimate.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

Karzai Voiced Doubts About the Runoff Until the Last Moment

The Washington Post reports that after extensive prodding by Senator John Kerry, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has accepted the need for a second round of elections.

Kerry Emerges as a Key Broker for the Obama Administration

The Obama Administration has sent Senator John Kerry to Afghanistan to negotiate with the Karzai Government . The Wall Street Journal reports that, in five days Kerry has had five meetings with President Karzai, encouraging him to accept the Independent Election Commission's findings of election fraud. Karzai intially declared the IEC findings "legitimate, legal and constitutional," but has not yet called or a recount. For more read the Guardian.

CFR Interview on the Afghan Election Crisis

With President Hamid Karzai's announcement that he will participate in a runoff vote on November 7, achieving electoral legitimacy remains a compelling task.

Today at CFR.org, an interview with Peter Manikas yields insight on the roles of the IEC (Independent Election Commission) and the ECC (Election Complaints Commission). The IEC is comprised entirely of members of the Afghan government, and will carry out the runoff election. The ECC is comprised of international and Afghan officials.

As Manikas suggests in the interview, much responsibility for a successful runoff (in terms of procedural integrity) will likely rest on the IEC.

Afghan Run-Off Scheduled for November 7

The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission has reported that it had "clear evidence" that Hamid Karzai did not receive the 50% of votes necessary to avoid a runoff. Despite reports that Mr. Karzai would refuse to accept the results, he issued a statement urging the country to move toward unity and stability rather than challenging the investigation. Mr. Karzai will be challenged by Abdullah Abdullah in the November 7 run-off election. Read more from the BBC.

Karzai Likely to Admit to Insufficient Vote Result

As was posted earlier, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is facing increased political pressure following the Afghan presidential election. AP has just reported that Karzai may likely admit that he did not breach the 50% electoral result necessary to avoid a runnoff.

The election results and Karzai's subsequent conduct will have significant consequences for US foreign policy in South Asia, and could potentially have long-lasting effects on US national security interests.