Afghanistan: Preparations for run-off poll complete

World

Afghanistan: Preparations for run-off poll complete

Close

29 October,2009 06:29 pm

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) is fully prepared for a November 7 run-off election and the related materials needed for polls have already been delivered to 34 provinces, IEC official said on Thursday.President Hamid Karzai agreed to accept the run-off against opponent, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, after days of diplomatic wrangling and a UN-led fraud inquiry that tossed out enough Karzai votes to trigger a second round. Concerns about a repeat of the widespread fraud that tainted the first round on Aug. 20 cast a long shadow, as hasty preparations for the new poll began. The election commission is prepared for the second round of elections, all of the sensitive materials have been delivered to all the provinces, and the total number of polling centres will be 6,322, Deputy Electoral chief Zakria Barekzai told a news conference.Barekzai said that in some districts, elections will not take place due to poor weather and a lack of security.Several U.S. officials said a power-sharing deal between Karzai and Abdullah remained an option that could preclude the need for a run-off, or possibly follow one. Washington would not stand in the way of such an agreement if it could be reached as a way of shoring up public support for an Afghan government, one of the officials said.