Spotlight: Afghanistan's Elections

Mohammad Kheirkhah / UPI / Landov

Workers sort ballot boxes at election headquarters in Kabul.

In the old days, Afghan President Hamid Karzai would appear in his swooshing green cape for a weekly videoconference with George W. Bush. But with his flailing presidency seen as a big reason the Taliban and al-Qaeda are regaining ground in Afghanistan, the Obama Administration cut Karzai's White House access earlier this year.

The Aug. 20 Afghan elections were supposed to help fix that perception. Instead, they have been marred by allegations of massive ballot-stuffing, mainly (but not exclusively) by Karzai's supporters. Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has ordered a partial recount, citing "clear and convincing evidence of fraud." Still, whether Karzai...

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