UN acknowledges 'widespread fraud' in Afghan vote

The top UN official in Afghanistan acknowledged “widespread fraud” in the disputed presidential election and rejected allegations from a former deputy that he covered up cheating to smooth the path to victory for President Hamid Karzai.

The remarks by Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide appeared designed to win back respect for both the troubled UN mission and the entire election process ahead of a ruling by investigators on whether fraud was extensive enough in the August 20 vote to require a runoff.

Mr Eide’s reputation was tarnished when his deputy Peter Galbraith alleged that the UN mission chief played down allegations of widespread ballot-stuffing by Mr Karzai’s supporters.

Mr Galbraith, the top-ranking American in the UN mission, was fired on September 30 by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after the widely publicised dispute.

A UN-backed fraud panel is expected to decide this week whether to throw out enough votes to require a runoff between Mr Karzai and his top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah. Doubts about the UN’s neutrality could throw the panel’s rulings into question.

It is a setback to hopes of the Obama administration and its international partners that the vote – the first presidential election run by Afghans – would restore legitimacy to a government plagued by weakness and corruption.

Mr Karzai told a news conference that “confusion” over election results had been “created by Western elements in our country”. He did not elaborate.

At a separate news conference, Mr Eide said Mr Galbraith’s allegations were untrue in some cases and taken out of context in others.

Mr Eide was flanked by ambassadors from the United States, Britain and France in a show of international support for the UN mission and its embattled leader.

Mr Eide said he could “only say that there was widespread fraud” and that “any specific figure at this time would be pure speculation” until the recount is complete.

Final results have been delayed by more than a month as a UN-backed panel set up as a check on the Afghan-appointed election commission examines complaints and suspicious votes.

Though preliminary tallies show Mr Karzai winning with about 54%, enough Karzai ballots are suspect that the voiding of fraudulent votes could drop him below the 50% threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

Last week, Mr Galbraith said he was sticking by his allegations and said the election fraud had been “preventable”.