UN-backed complaints commission to release findings after two-month inquiry into whether Karzai won election outright

A UN-backed panel today said it would announce its long-delayed verdict on Afghanistan's disputed presidential vote amid US frustration with the president, Hamid Karzai, for stalling over an election run-off, The Guardian informs Oct. 19.

Pressure has been mounting on Karzai to accept a possible second-round vote against his main rival, Abdullah Abdullah, or work out a deal to break the deadlock ahead of today's announcement.

“We will be releasing the results of our findings in a statement today,” said Nellika Little, a spokeswoman for the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). For the past two months, the ECC has been sifting through thousands of suspicious votes to determine whether Karzai has won outright.

The ECC announcement, originally expected over the weekend, was delayed under pressure from the body responsible for the Afghan election, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), seen as favouring Karzai. The IEC is almost certain to challenge the ECC's findings, the source reads.