Independent Election Commission Declares Karzai Victorious
The Independent Election Commission, which has been accused of helping to stuff ballots with fraudulent women’s votes in favor of Hamid Karzai in the initial August elections, has declared Karzai the winner of the Afghan Presidential election.
In the IEC statement, Chairman Azizullah Lodin, specifically states that Hamid Karzai originally had the majority of the vote. Whether or not it was intended as a thinly veiled statement to the Abdullah campaign and the Electoral Complaints Commission remains to be seen, but the wording can certainly raise questions of impartiality.
As for the United States, one has to wonder what sort of ‘legitimate’ partner they have in Hamid Karzai? Karzai who has been dogged with cries of corruption, illegitimacy, and ineffectiveness by Afghans for years now and has been declared the victor of an election rife with fraud by a commission that has been accused of stuffing ballots in his favor after he refused to give into his rival’s demands to fire Azizullah Lodin before a run-off:
IEC Declares Hamid Karzai‘s Second Term:
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.
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. Britain and the United Nations also issued statements of congratulations.
Azizullah Lodin was the Independent Election Commission official Dr. Abdullah wanted removed for his lack of impartiality.
Election commission chairman Azizullah Lodin announced Karzai the winner during a news conference in Kabul.
“His excellency Hamid Karzai, who has won the majority of votes in the first round and is the only candidate for the second round, is declared by the Independent Election Commission as the elected president of Afghanistan,” Lodin said.
Lodin said that the commission had the authority to make the decision because the Afghan constitution only allows for a runoff between two candidates. There is a chance that the ruling could be contested, but the international community came out strongly in support of it.
The U.S. statement said the commission’s decision was in line with “its mandate under Afghan law.”
Dr. Abdullah Reaction Expected Tuesday:
“The announcement that was made by the electoral commission today will not solve the problems of Afghanistan, and it doesn‘t have any basis in law,” Fazel Sancharaki said.
He said Abdullah would give his reaction in a speech Tuesday. “We expected that this commission would announce something like this because this commission has never been independent and has always supported President Karzai,” Sancharaki said.
Afghan election commission declares Karzai winner [AP]