Karzai top challenger boycotts run-off election

2009-11-01 09:46:10 GMT2009-11-01 17:46:10 (Beijing Time) Xinhua English

Opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah sits at his residence after a news conference in Kabul Sept. 5, 2009.(Reuters, File Photo)

KABUL, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Afghan President's top challenger Abdullah Abdullah announced Sunday that he would not go for the run-off presidential election set on Nov. 7.

According to the constitution, it is possible for the run-off to be held with only one candidate, but that is believed to undermine the government's legitimacy.

The announcement came after talks of forming coalition government between Karzai and Abdullah broke down on Saturday, local media reported.

Abdullah put forward some conditions one week ago to ensure the credibility of the run-off, including replacing top election official and suspending three ministers. The first-round election was affected by widespread fraud, according to a UN report.

The first-round election was held on Aug. 20, with preliminary results by Afghan election authority showing Karzai won 54.6 percent. However, a UN investigation on fraud pushed Karzai's total to below the 50 percent, which is needed to avoid a run-off.

U.S. President Barack Obama is weighing his strategy on Afghanistan and considering whether to send tens of thousands additional troops to the war-torn country while Taliban has vowed to disrupt the run-off election.

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