Runoff Effect

As widely expected, Afghan Preisdent Hamid Karzai has agreed to a runoff election to take place in two weeks.

Karzai, who will face his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah in the November 7 second round, said he was putting his country's interests over his own.

"It was not important who the winner is, and we need to leave this to the people of Afghanistan to judge who the winner was," Karzai said at a news conference through an interpreter.

"Whether I am the winner or not, it's probably in my interest, but I prefer the national interest of Afghanistan over my personal interests."

Western powers, particularly the United States, had been pushing Karzai to accept the final election results in order to ensure Afghanistan has a legitimate government, particularly as Washington considers beefing up its military presence there.

Karzai spoke shortly after Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission certified the election results, which gave him less than the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff.

The U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission had invalidated nearly a third of Karzai's votes from the August 20 presidential election because of "clear and convincing evidence of fraud."

Last month, final uncertified results showed Karzai with 54 percent.

"We welcome the decision made by the Independent Election Commission, we believe the session is legitimate, legal and according to the constitution of Afghanistan," Karzai said Tuesday. "It's going to be a historic period that we all are waiting to go through."

Can't see as how Karzai has too much of a choice. Sadly, I think his refusal to allow a runoff would have sealed the deal on us getting out of the country and us washing our hands of the mess. Yes, it would have meant suffering for the Afghan people, but it's not like they are in a utopia now after eight years of our meddling. We've accomplished little, trading an openly hostile fundamentalist Islamist government for a Western-friendly but thoroughly corrupt democracy that requires our constant and continuing support in money and blood to maintain, and maintain it we have for eight years now.

Really not sure who got the better of that particular deal, eh?