KABUL, 27 October 2004 — Incumbent leader Hamid Karzai, poised to become Afghanistan’s first popularly-chosen president, expects results of Oct. 9’s election to be announced on Sunday, he told a visiting official.
“The JEMB has told us they will announce the results on Sunday,” Karzai told Italian Deputy Foreign Minister Margherita Boniver during talks yesterday at the presidential palace, according to press adviser Khaleeq Ahmad.
“Once the results are in and I am the winner, then I will celebrate.” The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) is the joint UN-Afghan election commission.
Karzai drew “great happiness” from his lead in the election, his spokesman said earlier in the day. With a meager 1.6 percent of ballots from the historic election remaining, the US-backed interim leader of the past three years is on 55.5 percent with a 39.3 percentage point lead.
“It’s a source of happiness that we got more than 50 percent,” Karzai spokesman Jawed Ludin told a weekly press briefing. “President Karzai’s reaction to the results will wait until the final results are announced by the joint electoral body.”
Karzai’s chief rival and former Education Minister, Yunus Qanuni, is trailing in second place with 16.2 percent of votes. The drawn-out hand count had all but finished late yesterday, with only several quarantined boxes containing around 60,000 ballots waiting to be determined.
“When the counting is over we will issue a statement that will say that it is really over,” election commission spokesman Sultan Baheen told AFP late yesterday.
Counting was down “to the last dregs ... all that remains are the quarantined boxes,” election operations chief David Avery said, referring to boxes which had been isolated on suspicion of irregularities.
A United Nations-mandated international panel is still probing alleged fraud and other irregularities. The panel told candidates’ representatives Monday they were only examining complaints of alleged fraud on election day. At least two candidates professed disappointment.
“This election-day-only investigation does not satisfy us, we want an overall investigation of the whole process,” Qanuni’s vice presidential running mate, Sayed Hussain Alimi Balikhi, told AFP. French-speaking Tajik intellectual Abdul Latif Pedram shared the Qanuni camp’s view, as did Uzbek warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum’s running mate, Shafiqa Habibi.
Several newspapers and Qanuni have already acknowledged Karzai as the victor. “Vote count shows Karzai is the certain winner,” declared yesterday’s Arada (Goal) daily. Government newspaper Anees proclaimed: “Karzai is the winner, Yunus Qanuni accepts defeat”.
The Watandar weekly said Karzai was chosen “because he was the beginning of peace and security in Afghanistan”.
In the Kabul counting center, one of eight regional vote-tallying centers, excitement reached fever pitch as the count neared its climax.
“This is a very important day! Afghans are waiting to know their future!” said Fatana Qurishi, 24, an observer from the private Human Rights Commission, barely able to contain her enthusiasm.
