Allegations of major fraud in Afghan elections hit 700

MAJOR fraud complaints in the Afghan presidential election surged yesterday to nearly 700, raising concern that the volume of cases that must be investigated will delay announcement of a winner and formation of a new government.

President Hamid Karzai is leading with 46.2% of votes from the August 20 ballot, followed by ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah with 31.4%, according to official figures from 35% of the polling stations. Karzai must win over half the votes to avoid a run-off.

Final results cannot be certified until the election complaint commission finishes investigating all major fraud allegations. Officials had hoped to release the final tally by September 17, but the number of complaints makes that unlikely.