Fraud claims 'patently false,' Eide claims

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Allegations that the United Nations covered up or was complicit in covering up election fraud in Afghanistan are "patently false," the top U.N. envoy said.

Kai Eide, the U.N. special envoy for Afghanistan, in an impassioned statement Thursday denied there was any connection between the conduct of the United Nations and widespread fraud in the Aug. 20 elections in Afghanistan.

"The accusations that the United Nations has covered up or that I asked for fraud to be covered up are patently false," he said. "I intend to deal openly with all these allegations against the United Nations and myself relating to fraud and bias at the appropriate time."

Peter Galbraith, the former U.N. deputy special envoy for Afghanistan, came forward in the wake of his resignation with allegations that Eide favored incumbent President Hamid Karzai by allowing fraud at the polls to continue.

Afghans were praised for their ability to conduct their own elections, though allegations of fraud surfaced almost immediately. Afghan election monitors have since ordered an audit of suspected ballots and discounted the results from several suspicious polling centers.

Eide, who said his silence was "being exploited" to the point of impeding the election process, called for patience while both Afghan electoral bodies conduct their investigation.

"We need to allow both these bodies, which were created under the laws of this country, to conclude their investigations, identify fraud, and deliver a credible result in the next few days," he said.