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Afghan Election Results Due Out Wednesday

   VOA News 23 November 2010
   An  Afghan  election  worker  carries ballot boxes at the warehouse of
   Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan on
   Tuesday,  Sept.  21,  2010.  Dozens  of  candidates  in  Afghanistan's
   parliamentary elections represent a party linked to Gu

Photo: AP

   An  Afghan  election  worker  carries ballot boxes at the warehouse of
   Afghanistan's  Independent  Election  Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan
   (File)

   Afghan  officials  say  they  will  announce  the final results of the
   country's September parliamentary election on Wednesday.
   The  vote was held on September 18, but the results have been withheld
   pending investigations into thousands of complaints of fraud.
   Election  officials  have  invalidated  nearly  a  quarter  of the 5.6
   million  votes  cast and disqualified 19 candidates who were initially
   declared winners.
   The  vote  for  the  249-seat  parliament  has been closely watched by
   Afghanistan's  Western  allies  for  signs that Afghan President Hamid
   Karzai is committed to reforming his corruption-ridden government.
   Final  results  were  originally  set for release in October, but were
   delayed  as  the United Nations-backed Electoral Complaints Commission
   processed  some  5,000  complaints.   Allegations included reports of
   intimidation    and    coercion   of   voters   by   local   warlords,
   ballot-stuffing,   repeat   voting   and   the   use   of  fake  voter
   identification cards.
   Fraud  also  marred  last  year's  presidential  vote in Afghanistan.Â
   Roughly  one-third  of the votes cast for President Karzai were thrown
   out by the Electoral Complaints Commission.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.

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