Karzai Accepts Runoff After International Pressure

President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, accepted an internationally called for runoff election while speaking alongside Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) in Kabul. In the first round vote two months ago, one-third of Karzai's votes were discarded after being deemed fraudulent by the Independent Election Commission.

It is unclear what, if any, involvement Karzai had in the initial election violations, but it is apparent that he is now prepared to go ahead with a second round of voting. "We consider the decision made by the Independent Election Commission as legal and right," he says.

The runoff election, which will pit Karzai against his most significant opponent Abdullah Abdullah, will take place on Nov. 7. Many on-lookers fear that voter apathy and the inability to secure the voting system in two weeks will lead to inaccurate results once again.

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