Oct 11 Afgan

UN official says 'widespread fraud' in Afghan vote
AP

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By RAHIM FAIEZ and HEIDI VOGT, Associated Press Writers Rahim Faiez And Heidi Vogt, Associated Press Writers – 35 mins ago

KABUL – The head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan acknowledged Sunday there was "widespread fraud" in the August presidential election but refused to give specifics or lay blame to avoid influencing the ongoing recount.

Kai Eide appeared before reporters to respond to allegations by his former deputy, Peter Galbraith, that the Norwegian diplomat had sought to cover up evidence of massive fraud allegedly committed on behalf of President Hamid Karzai during the Aug. 20 balloting.

Galbraith, the top-ranking American in the U.N. mission, was fired Sept. 30 by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon after the widely publicized dispute over how to deal with the fraud charges, which threaten to discredit both the Afghan government and the international strategy for combating the Taliban insurgency.

During a news conference, Eide said he could "only say that there was widespread fraud" and that "any specific figure at this time would be pure speculation" until the recount is complete. Eide said Galbraith's allegations against him "have affected the entire election process."

In a separate press conference, an impatient President Hamid Karzai called for the results to be announced as soon as possible.

"Day by day, Afghanistan faces more security problems, there is a decrease in the national income, there is an increase in insecurity across the country, there is a negative impact on daily business," Karzai said. "I wish the election results could be announced sooner."