AFGHANISTAN: The crisis surrounding Afghanistan's historic presidential election appeared to end yesterday as President Hamid Karzai's chief rival said he and other candidates were withdrawing their rejection of the weekend poll.
Millions of Afghans took part in Saturday's poll, the first time the impoverished, war-torn Islamic nation voted for a president, but all 15 of Mr Karzai's challengers announced a boycott, saying a system to prevent multiple voting had failed.
"We want unity in this election, not a boycott," ethnic Tajik commander Mr Yunus Qanuni told reporters after intermediaries, including US envoy Mr Zalmay Khalilzad, interceded.
"The people want it and we appreciate their feelings." Mr Qanuni said he was speaking for several candidates but not all. But his acquiescence means the end of the most serious opposition to the poll, which was held under the shadow of threats of violence by Taliban insurgents.
Mr Karzai, the favourite to win the election, had appealed to his rivals to respect "national jubilation" over the vote.
An exit poll conducted by the Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI), a US think-tank, showed Mr Karzai heading for a landslide.
With more than 12,000 survey responses recorded, Mr Karzai had over 50 per cent of the vote, enough to avoid a run-off with second-placed Mr Qanuni.
The election commission, the Joint Election Management Body, earlier announced a panel would investigate irregularities and asked Mr Karzai's rivals to submit any complaints by this evening.
A commission official said counting, which could last for three weeks, would start tomorrow.
One candidate said Mr Qanuni and Hazara chieftain Mr Mohammad Mohaqiq had been persuaded to drop out of the opposition boycott.
"Khalilzad urged them to do so in return for accommodating them somehow in the future government," the candidate said.
The US Defence Secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, said the media had played up the negatives of the poll.
"The fact is they just had an election. It's breathtaking," he said, speaking in Macedonia.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, visiting Afghanistan yesterday, said: "I want to praise all of the authorities, particularly the German contingent, for making the Afghan elections so peaceful."