Karzai ahead after first million votes counted

Afghanistan’s interim leader, Hamid Karzai, held a 45% lead today in the preliminary results of the country’s first presidential election, though a chief rival said the validity of the vote was in doubt.

The US-backed incumbent’s closest challenger, former Education Minister Yunus Qanooni, claimed to have evidence of organised fraud in favour of Karzai and that the UN-Afghan electoral commission was ignoring his complaints.