Challenger Pulls Out Of 2-Man Runoff In Afghanistan

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

Afghanistan's presidential race is effectively over. President Hamid Karzai's challenger dropped out of a run-off election set for this Saturday. He said he expected another vote tainted by fraud.

INSKEEP: Westerners had been looking at this run off as a second chance. After a fiercely disputed first round, it was an opportunity for Afghans to get a more legitimate result. Now, that seems unlikely, though the run off election has not been cancelled. In a moment we will talk with Abdullah Abdullah, the challenger who pulled out.

We begin with NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson in Kabul.

Mr. ABDULLAH ABDULLAH (Afghan Presidential Candidate): (Foreign language spoken)

SORAYA SARHADDI NELSON: Abdullah was visibly upset as he announced his withdrawal in a televised speech. Several times he paused amidst sentence to nervously lift a water glass to his lips.

(Soundbite of applause)

NELSON: His supporters cheered him on. He in turn, told them that too much blood was spilled over the years to secure Afghans the right to vote for him to take part in a sham election. Later at a news conference, Abdullah was more upbeat.

Mr. ABDULLAH: Life will continue for our people and hopefully democracy will survive in this country, and I can assure our people that I'll at the service of our people and promote the ideas of reform and change for the betterment of the lives - the life of the people of Afghanistan.

NELSON: There were other reasons for dropping out, besides his stated fear that the upcoming polls would again be marred by fraud. For one, he was widely expected to lose this next round. And last week's talks, behind closed doors with Karzai, over sharing power have failed. But Abdullah told his supporters that it came down to one point, replacing several members of Afghanistan's election commission that ran the fraudulent first round.

Mr. ABDULLAH: (Through translator) I told President Karzai, that if you ignore all my other suggestions to restore credibility to the process for the Afghan people, at least act on that one, he refused.

NELSON: That point will likely linger in the minds of many Afghans, as election officials and constitutional experts here decide whether or not to hold the election any way. The White House and other Western governments have already started announcing their support for Karzai following Abdullah's announcement. How accepting Afghans will be of a second Karzai administration, is less clear. U.N.-backed investigators found massive voting fraud during the presidential polls in August and ordered him stripped of hundreds of thousands of votes. That's why many here feel Karzai needs the run off to restore his credibility among Afghans. Karzai's campaign expressed sorrow at Abdullah's withdrawal, but said it would abide by whatever Afghan election officials decide to do.

Abdullah stopped short of asking his supporters to boycott the election. He did urge them not to resort to violence to express their frustration. But it seems clear that fewer Afghans will take part in the election if it is held.

Mr. MOHAMMAD RAFI(ph) (Painter): (Foreign language spoken)

NELSON: Hurrying home across one of Kabul's main parks last night, painter, Mohammad Rafi said he and 11 of his family members who voted for Abdullah on the first round would stay home during the runoff to protest Karzai's inevitable victory. But others, like Kais(ph), a Kabul University student, who like many Afghans uses only one name, says he will cast his ballot if polling stations open on Saturday.

Mr. KAIS: (Foreign language spoken)

NELSON: He urged others to do the same to remove the cloud Abdullah has cast over Afghanistan's next administration.

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, NPR News, Kabul.

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