Karzai Declared Winner of Afghan Election as Runoff Canceled

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission declared Hamid Karzai winner of a second term as president Monday after it called off a runoff when his only rival withdrew from the race.

The runoff had been planned for Nov. 7.

“The Independent Election Commission declares the esteemed Hamid Karzai as the president … because he was the winner of the first round and the only candidate in the second round,” the commission’s chief Azizullah Ludin said at a news conference in the country’s capital Kabul.

Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah stepped out of the running on Sunday, saying the changes he demanded of the IEC and other measures that would have helped prevent fraud were rebuffed.

“I will not participate in the Nov. 7 election,” Abdullah said, because a “transparent election is not possible.”

Abdullah said no deals had been struck in return for his withdrawal, Reuters reported.

After the original Aug. 20 election, the IEC said Karzai had won with 54.6 percent of the vote. But an investigation into allegations of fraud at polling stations reduced his tally to less than 50 percent, triggering a runoff with his next closest challenger, Abdullah.

The news of the canceled run-off came hours after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in a surprise visit to Kabul. He met with both Karzai and Abdullah, officials said, according to Reuters.

The purpose of Ban’s visit was to show the international body’s support of Afghans and the government, despite criticism about its credibility.

Karzai and Abdullah had been engaged in talks about a possible power-sharing deal, reported the Associated Press.

Organizers had been scrambling to hold the vote before the onset of winter, which would have made travel difficult.

Security was also an issue as the Taliban threatened violence against anyone who voted.

Last week, suicide attackers stormed a guest house in Kabul filled with U.N. election workers, killing five U.N. staffers and three Afghans.

Ban promised Monday that U.N. work would continue in Afghanistan despite the attack. He also said Karzai had assured him Afghan security forces would work to protect U.N. staff, the AP reported.

“We cannot be deterred, we must not be deterred,” he said. “The work of the United Nations will continue.”