Latest results show that incumbent President Hamid Karzai has pulled further ahead of his main challenger in Afghan presidential poll marred by claims of massive fraud.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) said in a statement that it had counted nearly 2.32 million valid ballots until Saturday.

Karzai have won 940,558 ballots with his main rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, holding 638,924 votes, according to t24 votes, according to the commission.

The IEC-releasedD

The IEC-released results account for about 35 percent of the vote.

Karzai now holds 46.63 percent compared to Abdullah, who has secured 31.4 percent of the votes counted so far.

Results are being released daily; however, it can take several weeks before the official results are announced.

A candidate must garner more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round to avoid a run-off in October.

The low turnout, potentially less than 35 percent, could raise questions about the legitimacy of the victor in the elections, according to independent observers.

The low turnout has been attributed to the Taliban-linked insurgents who made good on pre-election threats to punish voters in the violence-wracked southern and eastern provinces.

Abdullah said he would examine all legal avenues to counter 'state-engineered fraud'.

The election is the second direct presidential election held since US-led troops invaded Afghanistan eight years ago.
from: http://www.presstv.ir

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