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Karzai elected president of Afghanistan as only candidate

2009-11-03 14:09 BJT

Special Report: Afghan presidential election |

The drawn-out presidential elections in Afghanistan have come to an end. he country's Independent Electoral Commission has cancelled the week-end run-off and declared incumbent president Hamid Karzai the winner. The decision came after the withdrawal of Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's arch rival.

A lengthy recount and months of uncertainty have led to a result that surprises no one.

Azizullah Lodin, chairman of Independent Electoral Commission, said, "We declare that Mr Hamid Karzai, who got the majority of votes in the first round and is the only candidate in the second round of elections for Afghanistan in 2009, as elected president of Afghanistan."

The decision allows a sense of relief for organizers and Afghans concerned about the country's prospects.

Prolonged political uncertainty is not news for a country eager to come out of the shadows of war, but entangled in the fight against a Taliban insurgency.