By empty (11/12/2005 issue of the CACI Analyst)
The process of counting and checking results from the parliamentary and provincial elections in Afghanistan in September has finally been completed. An election official told the BBC that the election commission had certified results from Kandahar, the final province to be completed. President Hamid Karzai\'s brother, Abdul Qayyum Karzai, has been elected to the lower house of parliament.
The process of counting and checking results from the parliamentary and provincial elections in Afghanistan in September has finally been completed. An election official told the BBC that the election commission had certified results from Kandahar, the final province to be completed. President Hamid Karzai\'s brother, Abdul Qayyum Karzai, has been elected to the lower house of parliament. Meanwhile, councils are voting for their upper house representatives. Results from the September election had already been published from 33 other provinces, but the results from Kandahar were delayed while officials checked fraud allegations. The joint Afghan and United Nations election commission has now also certified results for the Kuchi - or nomad - population. The BBC\'s Andrew North in Kabul says the length of time it has taken to check fraud allegations and finalise the election results has left many Afghans confused and suspicious. In Kandahar, election officials say at least one candidate lost his place because of the discovery of widespread ballot-rigging. However, the candidate\'s backers have complained of a vendetta against him, including from supporters of President Hamid Karzai, Andrew North reports. Kandahar is President Karzai\'s home province and two of his brothers stood for election there. One, Abdul Qayoom Karzai, won the most number of votes in the province for a parliamentary seat. The other, Ahmed Wali Karzai, came top of the list for the provincial council. Most candidates running in the elections stood as independents. This means that it is hard to develop a picture of the overall political complexion of the new parliament. But, political analyst Ali Amiri told Associated Press news agency: \"The government [of Hamid Karzai] has the support of more than 50% in the parliament.\" (BBC)