A PARTIAL recount in last month’s Afghan presidential election will cover more than 10% of polling stations, the head of a UN-backed watchdog said yesterday.

Vote tallies from about 10% of Afghanistan’s polling stations need to be recounted because of possible irregularities in the country’s presidential election, a top poll official said today.

AFGHANISTAN’S vote monitoring body has ordered the invalidation of ballots from last month’s controversial elections, finding “clear and convincing evidence of fraud”.

The UN-backed commission investigating fraud in Afghanistan's election issued its first orders today to exclude some ballots from the final tally.

A UN-BACKED commission yesterday ordered a recount of tainted ballots from the Afghan presidential vote, saying it had “convincing evidence of fraud”, even as President Hamid Karzai for the first time surpassed the threshold needed to avoid a run-off and win re-election.

Afghanistan’s Hamid Karzai has won 54% of votes counted in the country’s presidential election, officials said today.

The commission charged with investigating fraud in Afghanistan’s presidential election says it has now received more than 550 complaints serious enough to affect the outcome of the poll if proved true.

Six Afghan presidential candidates warned today that fraud allegations threaten to undermine the recent election and could fuel violence.

AFGHANISTAN prepared to roll out partial results from a hotly contested election marred by allegations of massive fraud and tensions as President Hamid Karzai and his top rival claimed the lead.

CHARGES of fraud in Afghanistan’s presidential election are extensive enough that they could sway the final result, the commission investigating the complaints said yesterday.