Afghan Accuses UN
Over Poll Fraud
Afghan
President, Hamid Karzai has accused foreign election observers
of fraud during last year's disputed vote.
Mr. Karzai, who accepted widespread fraud, singled out Peter
Galbraith, the then deputy head of the UN mission, who he said
had organised the fraud.
He accused Mr. Galbraith of feeding details to the international
media in an attempt to discredit him.
Mr. Galbraith has denounced the claim as incredible.
Karzai said the suggestion that the UN had stolen votes also
served as a sharp reminder of the fraud that dogged the
election.
Mr. Galbraith was dismissed last year after alleging that the UN
was not doing enough to combat fraud in the election.
Election malpractices
Irregularities uncovered by the independent Electoral Complaints
Commission included polling where the turnout was more than 100%
and others where votes were counted from places known to have
been closed on election day.
Mr. Karzai's comments come a day after the Afghan parliament
rejected his attempt to have an all-Afghan body monitoring
elections.
The UN in Kabul has not commented on Mr. Karzai's claims.
BBC/Williams/Yinka
