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Afghan run-off 'already rigged' in tribal south, warns monitor
The Telegraph (London) - October 29, 2009
Kabul – Hamid Karzai's Government has already begun fixing the second round of Afghanistan's presidential election, an election monitor said.
The monitor, who helped to catalogue fraud in the August 20 election, said tribal elders in southern provinces had already reported officials preparing to rig the November 7 run-off.
The International Crisis Group also warned that without an overhaul of the election process and action against the most senior perpetrators of fraud, the vote-rigging would be repeated.
The Government has rejected demands from the President's opponent, the former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, that Azizullah Ludin, the chief electoral official, be fired and three ministers suspended.
Pro-Karzai ballot stuffing was widespread in the Pashtun tribal south, where poor security left polling stations unobserved.
"Essentially it is the same as last time," the election monitor said. "There are reports from the provinces of meetings with elders to organise the fraud."
Dr Abdullah and other nations are keen to close polling stations in insecure areas where fraud was worst. The Afghan security forces are keen to open as many polling booths as possible.
The International Crisis Group said there were few signs the world had "the time, political will or resources to correct the many flaws that led to the fraud".
"Barring sanctions against those at the highest level responsible for the rigging and the swift adoption of extra security measures ahead of the run-off, it is more than likely that earlier mis-steps will be repeated," it said.
A former UN official from Afghanistan predicted fraud would again be widespread.
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