Preliminary results from August´s first round had placed Karzai comfortably over the 50% plus one vote threshold needed to avoid a run-off. [break]
But officials have told the BBC the Electoral Complaints Commission (EEC) says Mr Karzai did not win above 50%. Karzai could now face a second round against main rival Abdullah Abdullah.
However, the Times (of London) reported that Karzai has rejected the finding.
Mohammad Moin Marastyal, an Afghan MP and leading member of Karzai’s campaign team. said that the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) had twisted the facts in a deliberate attempt to trigger a run-off vote.
“Effort has been made to lower Karzai’s vote to below 50 per cent," Mr Marastyal said. "Now we are in a deadlock.”
The Afghan president says he won the vote outright, but European Union observers have said as many as one in four votes cast were suspicious.
The UN-backed ECC launched an investigation after the vote as allegations of mass fraud began to emerge. The ECC reports to the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which will make the final announcement on the election´s outcome. The IEC is widely regarded as pro-Karzai, but analysts say it is legally bound to accept the ECC´s findings.
The United States has said it will not send any more US troops to Afghanistan until a political resolution is reached.
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