Daily News Channel
President Hamid Karzai continues to maintain a strong lead in last month’s presidential election but needs more votes to avoid a runoff, according to partial results issued by Afghan election officials on Wednesday. Karzai is the choice on 47.28 percent of the ballots counted so far and his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, is at 32.57 percent, Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission said
Afghanistan’s government on Wednesday called for a media blackout on reporting violence as fresh attacks threatened disruptions a day ahead of pivotal presidential elections. The media was asked to refrain from covering any attacks on election day in an effort to “ensure the wide participation of the Afghan people.” This week, the Taliban said it plans to disrupt the elections with continued attacks and threatened to kill Afghans who vote.