Afghan election rival accuses incumbent Karzai of vote rigging

Abdullah Abdullah, the main challenger to President Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan’s presidential elections, has accused the latter of vote-rigging.

Abdullah, a former foreign minister, built up his accusations of fraud on Sunday. “The initial reports we are receiving are alarming. There might have been thousands of violations throughout the country, no doubt about it,” he told a news conference.

?Widespread rigging has taken place by the incumbent, through his campaign team, and through the state apparatus, through government officials,? Abdullah continued.
Abdullah Abdullah in 2004
Image: R. D. Ward, U.S. DoD.

?This is under his leadership that all these things are happening, and all these people who are responsible for this fraud in parts of the country are appointed by him. This should and could have been stopped by him. The initial reports we are receiving are alarming.?

Abdullah said he and his campaign team have made over a hundred complaints with election authorities.