The Times
Jerome Starkey in Kabul

The first full count of votes in Afghanistan’s increasingly bitter election gave President Karzai the outright majority required to secure him another term as fresh allegations were made that the poll was widely rigged.

Only “a miracle” could now stop Mr Karzai from winning, Waheed Omar, a presidential spokesman, said after the Independent Election Commission revealed the preliminary results with 100 per cent of the ballots counted yesterday. This made it almost impossible that any investigation would change the outcome, he added.

The Government also accused European Union officials of unwarranted interference after they claimed that a third of Mr Karzai’s vote may be fraudulent.

Rangin Spanta, the Foreign Minister, called the European mission moments after it said that 1.5 million votes, most of them for Mr Karzai, should be investigated. “He said the Government is unhappy with the mission and he said we are interfering,” an EU official told The Times. (Read more)