Karzai widens lead in Afghan vote

Seventeen percent vote counting has been completed in Afghanistan elections. The latest returns boost Karzai's standing to 44.8 percent. Abdullah, a former foreign minister, now has 35.1 percent. The count is based on returns from 17 percent of polling stations nationwide, meaning the results could still change dramatically. The president's new total pushed him closer to the 50 percent threshold that would allow him to avoid a two-man runoff. Afghan Election Commission chairman Daud Najfi said in a press conference in Kabul that counting of about one million votes has been completed in which Karzai got .042 million votes and his opponent Abdullah Abdullah obtained .034 million votes.