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                       Afghan Protesters Support Abdullah

   by VOA News

   Thousands of protesters demonstrated in Afghanistan's capital Friday in
   support of a candidate's claims that the presidential election was
   marred by mass fraud.

   Abdullah Abdullah has vowed to reject the election results, saying
   massive ballot box stuffing occurred during the June 14 poll.

   Abdullah went into the second-round run-off election widely seen as the
   favorite to succeed President Hamid Karzai.

   Abdullah, a former foreign minister, was up against former finance
   minister Ashraf Ghani.

   Earlier this month, Abdullah said he was boycotting the vote-counting
   process because the Independent Election Commission had failed to
   address his fraud concerns.

   The inconclusive election has left Afghanistan in limbo at a dangerous
   time, with the Taliban insurgency still raging and most NATO-led forces
   preparing to leave the country by the end of the year.

   An agreement with Washington to allow a smaller U.S. military presence
   to stay on remains unsigned, as President Karzai had wanted his
   successor to sign the pact.

   The United Nations' mission chief in Afghanistan has warned the "rising
   tensions" following the election could lead to a "protracted
   confrontation with a danger of a slide into violence."
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/afghan-protesters-support-abdullah/19
   46081.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/afghan-protesters-support-abdullah/1946081.html