United Nations: UN Chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday
said the decision to hold a runoff in Afghanistan in the face
of "fraud findings" in the Presidential elections will pose a
"huge challenge", but praised the Afghan president and his
chief rival for accepting the move.
"There will be huge challenge in conducting a second
election. We have only 16 days left. We have learnt very
valuable but painful lessons from the first elections," Ban
said here.
Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission scrapped
the results of the August 20 elections after fraud findings
dropped Karzai's votes below 50 per cent of the total, the
threshold needed for a first round victory.
The incumbent leader has agreed to a runoff against his
chief opponent former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah on
November 7.
"I hope the international community and Afghan government
and all others concerned will take every possible measure to
provide security to the people so that when they vote that
vote is not called a fraud," he said.
Ban noted the UN would play a similar role of backing the
Afghan institutions in carrying out the elections with
technical, administrative and technical support.
Many of the same difficulties remain such as holding
polling stations in Taliban controlled areas, which are
fraught with danger.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 22:32