Afghan chief election commissioner resigns
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Azizullah Ludin the Commissioner of Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) and his Deputy Daud Ali Najafi have quitted office amid criticism pertaining to last year's presidential election, President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman Waheed Omar said at a press conference Wednesday.
The two officials, according to Omar, have rendered their resignation and the president has approved it.
According to his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah, in the Aug. 20 presidential election, in which Karzai won a second five-year term, massive fraud had been done by state machinery, a claim rejected by election body as baseless.
Abdullah also demanded the replacement of both Ludin and Najafi to ensure transparency in the polls but president Karzai rejected the demand.
However, President Karzai almost after eight months of voting, in a surprise move last Thursday accused foreigners of intervention in the election process.
The allegations, according to media reports have prompted U.S. to seek explanation from karzai.
In his speech at election body's office on April 1, Karzai accused Peter Galbraith the former deputy of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and European Union (EU) mission head Phillippe Morillon of being involved in a plot to put a puppet government in power in Afghanistan.
The Afghan leader also accused U.S. diplomat Peter Galbraith of threatening to eliminate the then Chief Electoral Officer Daud Ali Najafi if he announced the election result in Karzai's favor.
All the claims have been rejected as groundless by UN and as well by Galbraith.
