Audit Said Likely to Show Karzai Has 48 Percent of Vote

afghan

    • KABUL, Afghanistan — A special audit committee submitted its election fraud findings after a lengthy investigation on Monday, and a Western official familiar with them said they appeared likely to show that President Hamid Karzai had won about 48 percent. The findings could force a runoff vote with Mr. Karzais top challenger, but it was unclear whether Mr. Karzai would accept the findings. The auditors did not immediately publicize their conclusions, which they handed to the independent election committee that will announce the final results. The report caps more than eight weeks of waiting and may bestow a greater legitimacy on the government that eventually emerges, something the United States has strongly urged. Mr. Karzais campaign officials have complained about the work of the five-member panel, saying that foreigners were unfairly influencing its outcome. And Mr. Karzai himself indicated this weekend that he might oppose the results, setting off a flurry of last-minute diplomacy by western officials. If he is shown to have won less than 50 percent of the vote, a widely anticipated conclusion, Mr. Karzai has few legal options. A runoff with his main opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, is constitutionally mandated to take place within two weeks. But Mr. Karzai could use his influence over the Independent Election Commission, the Afghan body that will certify Mondays results, to reject the findings. That would pitch Afghanistan into a constitutional crisis just as the Obama <b>...</b>
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