By Steve Hynd
The Afghan election is turning out to be a real clusterf**k.
NY Times: Afghan Cabinet Minister Claims Karzai Victory
President Hamid Karzai has won reelection with a clear mandate, garnering 68 percent of the vote in last week�s presidential election, Finance Minister Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal said Monday, citing preliminary figures. That count would dispense with the need for a second round.
The Guardian: One in five Afghan ballots may be illegal, UN warns
One UN official predicted that anywhere between 10% and 20% of the votes cast were illegal, and that negotiations would have to be made to "massage down" Karzai's victory margin. Independent election monitors said almost 700 complaints had been received, around 50 of which were earmarked for immediate investigation because of the risk they could change the outcome.
But the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), which will publish a small portion of the results tomorrow, said the reported cases of fraud "could not affect the result of the election".
Daily Telegraph: Abdullah Abdullah under pressure to concede to Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan
Ustad Atta Mohammed Noor, governor of Balkh province, said the international community feared a defeat for Mr Karzai would worsen violence in the Taliban heartlands.
He said he and Abdullah Abdullah's campaign were being urged to making a deal with the president.
He said: "They have come to the conclusion that if Mr Karzai doesn't win, insecurity will increase in the south.
"Because of the insecurity situation, they are insisting we should go and work with the government. It's very difficult for us. They are saying we should not accept the will of the people."
Mr Noor said he had met with Richard Holbrooke, US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, on Sunday and been left with the "impression" he wanted the Abdullah campaign to accept defeat.
A spokeswoman for the US embassy confirmed the meeting had taken place but said she did not know what had been discussed.
Financial Times: Afghan poll concerns threaten credibility
Allegations of ballot stuffing, intimidation and cheating by officials in Afghanistan�s presidential election multiplied on Monday, threatening to sap credibility from a vote crucial to US President Barack Obama�s strategy for fighting the Taliban.
US officials say that they hope the polls will deliver a government capable of convincing Afghans that they are better off under a western-style democracy than a resurgent Taliban.
FUBARiffic, huh?
Of course the election isn't credible and of course it won't convince Afghans they're better off under a sham democracy of narco-warlords, imposed at Western gunpoint. But the US and its allies will spin like mad to suggest otherwise - not to convince Afghans but for purely domestic purposes.
Next up in the cycle of insanity - sending more troops.
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