Afghans Name Karzai Winner As Runoff Cancelled

Abdullah Abdullah dropped out on Sunday, alleging the runoff would not be fair. Karzai and Abdullah had been in talks about the possibility of a power-sharing deal. However, Abdullah had said he would boycott the planned November 7 runoff if measures he had called a "minimum" needed to avert a repeat of vote-rigging were not enacted.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that even if Abdullah did drop out, it would not impact the legitimacy of the Afghan election results. As she said, it has happened even in the U.S., and "We see that happen in our own country where, for whatever combination of reasons, one of the candidates decides not to go forward. I don't think it has anything to do with the legitimacy of the election."

Commission president Azizullah Lodin said electoral officials decided to cancel the second round of voting for several reasons, including security and money. A runoff could have been held with just one candidate.

Confirmation was given by the chief electoral officer on the Karzai-appointed Independent Election Commission, Daoud Ali Najafi. He gave no further details, however.

The biggest fear in a proposed runoff was security. A Taliban spokesman had threatened violence against anyone who voted.

Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Kabul on Monday, just hours before the commission's announcement. He issued a statement congratulating Karzai, and restating the U.N.'s commitment to supporting the Afghan government.

In his statement, Ban Ki-moon said, "This has been a difficult election process for Afghanistan and lessons must be learned. Afghanistan now faces significant challenges and the new president must move swiftly to form a government that is able to command the support of both the Afghan people and the international community."

Also on Monday, Ban Ki-moon met with both Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah. He also met with U.N. officials, including head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eide. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul also issued a statement on Monday congratulating Karzai.

Despite what Clinton said earlier, the real test that Hamid Karzai faces now is establishing the legitimacy of his government. Afghanistan has faced issues with fraudulent elections in the past, so some might say the populace is used to such difficulties. Still, it is difficult to say how the people will react.