Afghanistan's run-off election are still set to go ahead with President Karzai as the only candidate after his rival Abdullah Abdullah confirmed his intention to withdraw this morning, the country's top electoral
official said.
"Based on election laws and based on the constitution there should be a second round. The constitution is clear," Daoud Ali Najafi, chief electoral officer of the government-appointed Independent Election Commission said this afternoon.
Dr Abdullah quit the election run-off today after accusing the government of not meeting his demands for a fair vote, leaving a cloud over the legitimacy of the next government.
A weakened Afghan government under President Hamid Karzai would also be a blow for President Barack Obama as he decides whether to send up to 40,000 more US troops to fight a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan.
A spokesman for UN mission chief Kai Eide voiced doubt about the practicality of carrying on with the election. "It's difficult to see how there can be a run-off with only one candidate," he said.
Mr Abdullah, Mr Karzai's former foreign minister, appeared to rule out any immediate chance of a power-sharing deal in return for withdrawing, but also told his supporters not to boycott the run-off.
His voice faltering and his eyes welling with tears, Mr Abdullah told hundreds of supporters, including white-bearded tribal elders, in a giant tent used for grand assemblies that he had reached the decision "in the interests of the nation".
"As far as I'm concerned, the decision I have reached is not to participate," he later told reporters at his Kabul home. "I have strong, strong reservations about the credibility of the process.”
Mr Abdullah said he quit because the demands he had sought from the government and the Independent Election Commission (IEC), including the sacking of Afghanistan's top election official in the wake of the tainted first round, had not been met.
He said there would be no demonstrations and urged his supporters "not to take to the streets, not to feel grief".
The run-off was triggered when a UN-led investigation found widespread fraud, mainly in favour of Mr Karzai, had been committed during the first round in August.
Mr Karzai had been favourite to win the run-off after getting the most votes the fraud-marred first round. His campaign team said the run-off would go ahead despite Mr Abdullah's withdrawal.
Afghanistan has been hit by weeks of political uncertainty, with security also a major concern after the Taliban vowed to disrupt the run-off.
The Taliban said today Mr Abdullah's withdrawal made no difference. "There will be no change of policy as far as we are concerned," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said.
Mr Obama met his top military leaders on Friday as part of a strategic review. Some analysts were scathing in their assessment of what was seen as a flawed election staged against the backdrop of increasing violence after eight years of war.
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment on Mr Abdullah's decision, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday a decision by Mr Abdullah to pull out would not affect the vote's legitimacy.
The United Nations praised Mr Abdullah for acting in a statesmanlike and dignified manner, while British prime minister Gordon Brown said the decision was carefully considered and that he looked forward to working with an inclusive government.
"I am confident that Afghanistan's leaders will support the remaining steps of the democratic process," Mr Brown said in a statement.
Reuters