Holbrooke pleased with Afghan elections

KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke, who toured polling stations in Kabul, says the Taliban "utterly failed" to disrupt Afghanistan's Thursday elections.

"On the basis of what we've seen so far, it seems clear that the Taliban utterly failed to disrupt these elections," Holbrooke told The New York Times after his election tour in the capital.

There there were concerns a low turnout could raise questions about the legitimacy of the elections or increase complaints of fraud, especially at a time of worsening security situation in the country and questions about corruption in the government of President Hamid Karzai.

Holbrooke, in his interview with the Times, was aware of this concern.

"The test is going to be in the counting," he said. "If the will of the electorate is going to be thwarted, it will happen in the counting."

Ashraf Ghani, one of the main opponents of Karzai, said in e-mail to U.S. officials he had reports of his opponents stuffing ballot boxes, the Times said.

Karzai must win more than 50 percent of the votes to avoid a runoff. But a low turnout in the violence-hit south, which is his stronghold, may increase that possibility.