KABUL — President Hamid Karzai holds a strong lead in the Afghan presidential race but is short of the majority he needs for a first-round victory, according to a poll released Friday with less than a week to go before the balloting.
The poll by a U.S. government-funded group suggests turnout will be crucial, especially in the Pashtun south — the president’s support base where Taliban fighters have been warning voters to stay away from the polls.
According to the latest poll, Karzai remains the leading candidate among three dozen contenders with about 44 percent support. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers will face a runoff in early October.
Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded near the main gate of NATO’s headquarters in the Afghan capital early today, killing and wounding an unknown number of people, an official said.
Bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street after the massive blast. Children — many of whom congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners, were among the wounded.
NATO’s headquarters is on the same street as the U.S. Embassy and presidential palace.
Several vehicles were destroyed at the site of the blast, said Mohammad Zahir Azimi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense. He said an unknown number of people were killed and wounded, adding he feared the toll would be high.
