KABUL — President Hamid Karzai widened his lead over his main challenger in election returns released Saturday, creeping toward the 50 percent mark that would enable him to avoid a runoff in the divisive presidential contest.
Karzai’s top challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, stepped up his fraud charges, raising doubts whether the former foreign minister’s followers would accept the incumbent if he wins in the first round.
Accusations of fraud in the Aug. 20 vote have poured into the Electoral Complaints Commission, which must investigate the allegations before final results can be announced.
Fraud allegations from Abdullah and other presidential candidates as well as low turnout in the violent south could strip the election of legitimacy, not only among Afghans but also among the United States and its international partners that have staked their Afghan policies on support for a credible government.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown paid a surprise visit Saturday to British troops in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province, hoping to counter critics who accuse his government of failing to support Britain’s mission here.
Figures released Saturday show Karzai with 46.2 percent of the votes against Abdullah’s 31.4 percent. The results are based on 35 percent of the country’s polling stations, so the percentages could change dramatically.
Few results have been announced from northern Balkh province, where Abdullah was expected to run strong, and from some southern Pashto-speaking provinces where Karzai draws his support.
Karzai’s aides appeared confident that he would score a first-round victory and avoid a runoff, which would probably be held in October if needed.
