Afghan election contender proposes interim government

The runner-up in Afghanistan's presidential election suggested today the country should have an interim government to guide it through the uncertainty surrounding the ballot results.

The possibility of a run-off has moved closer after a UN-backed panel threw out a third of President Hamid Karzai's votes from the August 20 vote.

He was expected to acknowledge the need for a run-off with chief rival Abdullah Abdullah after days of resisting fraud rulings that pulled his totals below the 50% threshold.

Another election risks the same accusations of fraud that derailed the August vote, along with inciting violence and increasing ethnic divisions. A November run-off also could be hampered by winter snows that block much of the north of the country starting mid-month.

The primary alternative that has been floated is a power-sharing deal, though the form that might take is unclear. It could take weeks or months to reach an agreement between the two rivals.

A spokesman for the Abdullah campaign said they did not consider a coalition or power-sharing government an acceptable alternative.

"A coalition is against the law and does not benefit the political process of the country," he said, noting that Afghan electoral law has no provisions for such a process.

"If anyone proposes that, they should have very strong reasons for it."

Mr Abdullah still sees a second-round vote as the best path, he said. If there are security or weather concerns that mean a run-off cannot be held before spring, some sort of interim administration should need to be worked out between the two candidates and with the help of the international community, the spokesman said.

"Karzai's term is over, we cannot accept him for several more months," he said.

The agreement that a run-off is required is likely just the first step in negotiations to iron out these differences between the Karzai and Abdullah camps.

The August election was characterised by Taliban attacks on polling stations and government buildings that killed dozens of people. In some areas, militants cut off the ink-marked fingers of people who had voted.

Turnout was hindered because of threats of violence from the Taliban and many say even fewer people would come out in a run-off.

Despite the danger, some Afghans in the southern city of Kandahar - a Karzai stronghold where many votes ended up thrown out for fraud - said they would prefer a run-off to a coalition government. Mr Karzai is widely expected to win a run-off vote.