Karzai declared Afghan president
Election organisers declared Hamid Karzai president of Afghanistan for a second term on Monday, cancelling a one-man run-off election which had threatened to descend into farce.
"We declare that Mr Hamid Karzai, who won the majority of votes in the first round and is the only candidate in the second round, is the elected president of Afghanistan," Independent Election Commission chairman Azizullah Ludin said.
The announcement came a day after the president's only challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, quit the contest.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon earlier Monday met both Karzai and Abdullah amid a concerted diplomatic push to ensure the contest did not take place and to bring a quick end to more than two months of chaos.
Ludin, a Karzai appointee who oversaw a fraud-riddled first round, said the decision had been made in line with the provisions of Afghan electoral law and constitution and was "consistent with the high interest of the Afghan people".
The commission also wanted to save money, with Ludin citing "the huge expense that the election requires" and security reasons.
Abdullah pulled out of the contest on Sunday declaring he would not participate for fear that widespread fraud which discredited the first round would be repeated.
Ban also met UN staff in a show of solidarity for those working in Afghanistan following a deadly Taliban suicide attack on a guesthouse for UN staff.
The UN chief welcomed the decision to cancel the run-off and became the first world figure to congratulate Karzai on his second term.
"I welcome todays decision by Afghanistans Independent Election Commission to forego a run-off vote and to declare Hamid Karzai as the winner of the 2009 presidential elections," Ban said in a statement.
"I congratulate President Karzai."
A senior European diplomat said there was great unease about staging such a contest at a time when a Taliban insurgency is gathering pace.
"Clearly we know that practically, going to the vote means a big expense and the possibility of a loss of life both of international and Afghan security forces," he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
The diplomat said the prospect of a second round was akin to "a 15-round boxing match when after 12 rounds one of the two fighters says for one reason or another, 'I am leaving'", and yet the contest still goes on.
First round turnout was as low as five percent in some areas worst hit by the Taliban insurgency and with the militia threatening fresh attacks, the numbers voting this time were likely to have been even lower.
Analysts said that Karzai, already tainted by the first round fraud, would struggle to proclaim his legitimacy in such circumstances.
After Karzai snubbed a series of demands promoted by his rival as a chance to avoid a repeat of massive first-round fraud, Abdullah said Sunday that he saw no point in standing, but stopped short of calling for a boycott.
The IEC initially said the run-off would take place as scheduled on Saturday, saying the deadline for Abdullah to withdraw had passed.
Karzai had opened the door to a possible alternative, saying he would "be obliged to follow" any ruling from the electoral or judicial authorities.
Insistent that first round fraud had been overstated, Karzai only agreed to a run-off under extensive diplomatic pressure.
After the fraud in the first round on August 20, Abdullah demanded Karzai sack Ludin and suspend three cabinet ministers who campaigned for the incumbent -- conditions which were stonewalled.
Karzai's share of the vote in the first round fell to 49.67 percent after around a quarter of all votes were deemed fraudulent.
Abdullah won just over 30 percent and would have had a mountain to climb to overhaul Karzai.
