Afghan election fraud allegations to be probed

Ballot boxes poured into centres today for a count of the troubled presidential election in Afghanistan, where organisers hope an independent panel’s probe into the balloting will end an opposition boycott that threatens the country’s chances for peace.

Election organisers hope their decision, announced late yesterday, to establish a panel of about three foreign election experts to investigate the balloting will end a boycott that could seriously undermine the winner’s ability to rule this war-ravaged nation.

International officials and the man heavily favoured to win the election - US-backed interim President Hamid Karzai – are urging the 15 other candidates to accept the outcome of Saturday’s election despite claims the ink marks used to prevent multiple voting were flawed.

At least two of the candidates backed away from the boycott, while some observers said the complaints over the ink were being raised by candidates as an excuse for why they were likely to lose.

Boxes of ballots from Saturday’s election, some arriving by mule, were not expected to finish reaching counting centres until tomorrow.

Before the counting of votes can start, the numbers of received ballots are checked against a list of votes cast to ensure none of the ballot boxes have been stuffed with fraudulent votes, UN officials said.

Then, the ballots from various districts are mixed together so no one knows which area favoured which candidate.

Actual counting may not start until Wednesday or Thursday, said electoral spokesman Sultan Baheen. Final results are not expected until the end of October.

Security chiefs in the provinces and Baheen said there had been no reports of major attacks on the transporting of the ballot boxes.

“It shows people want the rule of law instead of the rule the gun,” the spokesman said. “This is such a success for the Afghan people.”

The weekend voting came off without the major bloodshed threatened by Taliban militants, and electoral officials said turnout looked extremely high – a victory in itself in a nation with no experience at direct elections.

The top US commander in Afghanistan, Lieutenant General David Barno, said the election could sound the rebels’ death knell, and that Taliban leaders might “eventually look for ways to reconcile with the government that comes in”.

Poll organisers decided yesterday they would form an independent commission to investigate the weekend balloting.

“There is going to be an independent commission made to investigate it,” electoral director Farooq Wardak said. “There could be mistakes. We are just human beings. My colleagues might have made a mistake.”

In Washington, US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice predicted that “this election is going to be judged legitimate”, adding: “I’m just certain of it.”

The opposition complaint is focused on allegations the supposedly indelible ink used to mark voters’ thumbs in some polling stations could be rubbed off, allowing some people to vote more than once.

Even though Western officials gave the vote the thumbs up, a successful democracy needs an opposition that accepts election results. Karzai’s ability to unite the nation, fight warlords and crush the Taliban insurgency might be undermined if his opponents refuse to recognise the vote.

World leaders greeted the election as a great step for democracy, but some voiced caution.

“The peaceful completion and high voter turnout in the presidential election are grounds for optimism, despite the known problems,” German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz of neighbouring Pakistan said the elections “augur well” for Afghanistan. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi of Malaysia said it was “unfortunate” the elections were marred.

The opposition protest was an embarrassment to the international community.