With the release of preliminary results expected any day now, the unresolved probe of evidence of massive ballot stuffing in Afghanistan’s presidential election is coming to a head, with front-runner Abdullah Abdullah warning against any release of results until the probes are finished.
Audio tapes revealed a top Afghan election official ordering ballot stuffing on behalf of Abdullah’s opponent, Ashraf Ghani, and several members of the election commission have resigned amid growing evidence that the near-legendary levels of fraud in previous Afghan elections were no better this time around.
While Western officials were initially eager to spin the election as having gone well, a vindication for their protracted occupation, there are growing calls for a vote audit, as it is clear the crooked election is threatening stability.
The Afghan government has been trying to downplay the situation, but today stopped short of a ban on Facebook, which some had suggested was necessary for “national unity” as Abdullah supporters flock online to complain about the vote.