Karzai Opponent Withdraws Amid Controversy

The opposing candidate to President Hamid Karzai in the current Afghan runoff election officially withdrew, asserting fears of fraud in the election process.
The candidate, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew from the polls amidst speculation of corruption within the Karzai camp. After the initial election results were calculated in August roughly one third of Karzai's votes were thrown out by a panel of election monitors, who cited fraud. Since then Abdullah has been calling for reform within the system, including the resignation of many prominent Afghan officials whom he believes enabled the corruption. In his statement, Abdullah said one of his reasons for withdrawing is that his demands were not met within the government in Kabul.
The proceedings in Kabul are being watched closely by the international political community, drawing comments from leading figures such as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Being only the second election since the fall of the Taliban and with questions of corruption already being raised, many authorities are cynical about whether the outcome will truly be a victory for democracy.
Dr. Abdullah was quick to squash rumors of a boycott and has encouraged his supporters not to demonstrate or incite any violence.
"This is not an exchange for anything from anybody. My decision was purely to give the people of Afghanistan a chance to move on," Abdullah emotionally stated.
The irony in Dr. Abdullah's statement is glaring, as his decision essentially concedes the election to Karzai, who has been president since 2001. The allegations surrounding the first round of elections suggest that Karzai could become a stereotypical Central Asian president-for-life, especially if frustrated reformers such as Abdullah continue to back down.
In light of this, however, outside political leaders remain optimistic--at least publicly.
"We hope to see an Afghan government emerge that responds to the will of the people, that reaches out to all parts of Afghan society, and that is ready to take strong action to meet the challenges that Afghanistan faces," Said British PM Gordon Brown.
The U.N. is working to conclude the elections in as timely a manner as possible, possibly naming Karzai the victor of the presidential race without the second round proceedings.