KABUL — Afghan President Hamid Karzai must face an election run-off against his main rival on November 7, officials said today, to resolve a disputed first round that plunged the country into months of political uncertainty.
Source:Reuters
- Karzai welcomed the ruling by the government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) after hours of closed-door meetings with western diplomats and mounting international pressure to accept the need for a second round.
- The heavily disputed August 20 vote has fanned tension between Karzai and the West and complicated US President Barack Obama’s decision on whether to send thousands more US troops to Afghanistan to fight a resurgent Taliban.
- Obama, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon all welcomed Karzai’s decision to accept the run-off, Obama describing it as an important step forward for democracy.
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