KABUL — Afghanistan’s election crisis deepened Saturday as President Hamid Karzai resisted international pressure to accept fraud rulings that could force him into a runoff with his main challenger.
Three more American service members were reported killed in separate bombings as the U.S. and its international partners sought a way out of Afghanistan’s political impasse, a crisis that threatens the legitimacy of the Afghan government and the future of the U.S.-led military mission.
A U.N.-backed panel had been expected to release findings Saturday from its investigation into allegations of widespread fraud — most of it favoring Karzai — in the Aug. 20 election. Preliminary figures showed Karzai won with more than 54 percent of the vote.
Still, Karzai could face a runoff with his chief rival, Abdullah Abdullah, if the complaints panel invalidates enough ballots to push the incumbent’s total below 50 percent.
Announcement of the commission’s findings was delayed as commission members spent Saturday in meetings with Afghan election officials and double-checking calculations, according to people familiar with the talks.
Karzai has refused to commit to accepting the panel’s findings before they are released. His stand has raised concern that he might challenge the findings, further delaying proclamation of a winner or scheduling a runoff.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner; U.S. Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, were in Kabul on Saturday for talks with Afghan leaders.
In taped remarks for broadcast today on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Kerry said it would be irresponsible for the U.S. to consider sending additional troops to the region to achieve a mission of “good governance” when the Afghan election is not yet finished.
