First results reveal close Afghan contest

Tuesday, 25 August 2009 12:00 AM

By politics.co.uk staff

Incumbent Afghan president Hamid Karzai has a lead of just two points after the first results from last week's elections were announced.

Mr Karzai took 40.6 per cent of the first ten per cent of votes to foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah's 38.6 per cent, the AFP news agency reported.

Final results of the August 20th poll are not expected until next month, frustrating western hopes for a clear resolution to controversy surrounding the polls.

After feared Taliban attacks did not lead to significant disruption on polling day the main concern over the crucial elections lies in their legitimacy.

Around 800 officials complaints have been made, several of which are serious enough to undermine the result.

Commentators say most of the results counted so far do not come from the southern Pashtun region of Afghanistan, where Mr Karzai is expected to do perform most strongly.

The human cost of the elections to coalition forces was underlined today by the deaths of four US service personnel in the south of the country.

The Reuters news agency reported the fatalities brought the number of deaths among US soldiers in 2009 to 295 - now the highest number in any calendar year since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001.

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