Afghan Elections go to second round
President Hamid Karzai has agreed to face a second round of voting in Afghanistan’s disputed election after a UN-led fraud inquiry tossed out enough of his votes to trigger a run-off.
It was a corrupt election, but good to see the UN in this case stood up to the local Government, and as a result there will be a second round of voting. Karzai would have lacked legitimacy if he had refused a second round.
The challenge now is for him and/or his supporters not to create fake votes next time. If the second round is as corrupt as the first round, it will reduce the moral legitimacy of the Government, and make it harder for the NATO led effort to continue.