Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah has announced not to take part in the upcoming presidential runoff vote, however, he stopped short of calling for a boycott of the election. Mr. Abdullah announced his decision to pull out of the November 7 vote at a news conference on Sunday in Kabul. He said a transparent election will not be possible without the changes he had demanded in the Afghan election commission. On the other hand, President Hamid Karzai's campaign spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the runoff vote will go ahead, despite Mr. Abdullah's decision.
