The United Nations has been asked to set up an independent panel to assess complaints of fraud in Afghanistan’s first national elections. The tallying of votes has been delayed.
However, several rivals of US backed President Hamid Karzai appeared to back off from an initial decision to boycott the poll and reject a result seen going in favour of the incumbent.
The election has been deemed a success and the polling passed off peacefully despite sabotage threats by fundamentalist Taliban insurgents.
Millions of voters took part enthusiastically, but the poll ended in confusion when 15 candidates announced a boycott, saying a system to prevent illegal multiple voting had failed.
However, many of them were reportedly willing to drop the boycott call and let the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) election commission decide on their complaints, implicitly agreeing that they would accept its decision and the poll result.
The commission called on the United Nations to help set up a three-member panel. The commission has also called on Karzai's rivals to submit a list of complaints by Tuesday evening.
