Karzai Team Working Hard to Keep Dr. Abdullah Abdullah From Dropping Out of Run-Off
With Dr. Abdullah Abdullah poised to make an official announcement on Sunday about his role in the impending Afghan run-off election many influential people are commenting on the likelihood of the former Foreign Minister dropping out of the November 07 race and what it means for the legitimacy of the Afghan election in general.
The Karzai Administration, desperate to ward off any persistent talk of illegitimacy and fraud, is reportedly working hard to keep Dr. Abdullah in the race until the end of the run-off election currently slated for November 07.
Lack of Progress on Demands:
None of Abdullah’s demands have been met. He had called for the resignations of top election officials and politicians to avert electoral fraud a second time around.
Ambassador Khalilzad on Dr. Abdullah Abdullah:
Khalilzad also said that Abdullah “may not stay in the race.”
“First, he doesn‘t have much money left,” he said. “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.”
Secretary Clinton on Status of Run-Off:
“Other countries have faced this where one candidate decides not to go forward,” she said. “We see that happen in our own country where for whatever combination of reasons one of the candidates decides not to go forward. I don‘t think it has anything to do with the legitimacy of the election. It‘s a personal choice which may or may not be made.”
Karzai team in crisis talks to avert vote boycott [CNN]