A UN-backed electoral watchdog yesterday ordered Afghan officials to discard hundreds of thousands of ballot papers from August's presidential poll due to fraud, denying Hamid Karzai, the president, outright victory in the tainted vote.
The findings of the UN-led Electoral Complaints Commission will fuel the confrontation between Mr Karzai, who is adamant he won the August 20 vote, and western powers embarrassed by evidence of extensive vote rigging.
The US and its Nato partners are deferring a decision on sending more troops to confront the Taliban insurgency until the uncertainty is resolved, fearing the government that emerges will lack legitimacy.
您已阅读45%（657字），剩余55%（790字）包含更多重要信息，订阅以继续探索完整内容，并享受更多专属服务。