US congressmen press Afghanistan to delay election

[unhappycamper]

US congressmen press Afghanistan to delay election
By JIM HEINTZ
Associated Press Writer
Dec 29, 9:56 PM EST

KABUL (AP) -- U.S. Congressmen said Tuesday they are urging Afghan President Hamid Karzai to delay the next parliamentary ballot until electoral reforms are in place or risk American financial support for his government.

Karzai insists the elections must be held in May despite widespread concerns about their credibility, the U.S. legislators said.

The standoff comes in the wake of August's heavily disputed presidential election. The international community had hoped that election would affirm the government's credibility. Instead, massive fraud tarnished the Karzai government's reputation.

The vote was so soiled that U.N.-backed fraud investigators threw out more than a million ballots - enough to force Karzai into a second-round vote. The runoff was later canceled when Karzai's top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, dropped out.

"In the aftermath of the presidential elections ... the Karzai administration is faced with a challenge to its credibility. We communicated in very clear terms to both the legislative leaders here in Afghanistan and to President Karzai himself that this delegation believes it is imperative that the government of Afghanistan delay the parliamentary elections," Rep. Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana, said at the conclusion of the delegation's two-day visit.


Rest of Stripes article at: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_AFGHANISTAN_US?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-12-29-21-56-45