Karzai waits for election report

KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- Foreign leaders have reportedly been pressuring Afghan President Hamid Karzai to accept a second-round vote in the presidential election.

Officials told the BBC the tactic may have backfired, angering Karzai. The president has threatened to delay a new vote.

Under Afghan election law, a winning candidate must get at least 50 percent of the vote. According to election officials, 55 percent of those who cast ballots Aug. 20 voted for Karzai while former Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abdullah, the most successful opposition candidate, got only 28 percent.

The Electoral Complaints Commission, supported by the United Nations, is expected to release its report on alleged election fraud Sunday.

U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., who heads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner were both in Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talked to Karzai and Abdullah by telephone Friday.

Clinton told CNN she believes Karzai would win a second round vote.