KABUL (PAN): After an agonosingly long wait of nearly two months, the UN-backed electoral watchdog Monday finalised its decisions with respect to polling and counting for the presidential elections.

The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) officially communicated the outcome of its investigations to the Independent Election Commission (IEC), which will adjust candidates’ vote totals in accordance with the findings before it unveils the final results.

In a statement, the panel said it issued three separate decisions with respect to certification of the presidential election results. One, the ECC has ordered the IEC to invalidate 210 polling stations around the country where it found clear and convincing evidence of fraud.

Two, As a result of the audit and recount process, the ECC has directed the IEC to invalidate a certain percentage of each candidate's votes in six separate categories. Each category corresponds to criteria set forth in the ECC order of September 8, 2009, which required an investigation of polling stations that were highly suspicious of fraud.

Three, the ECC decided that 18 polling stations quarantined by the IEC might be included in the results because it found no clear evidence of fraud. The ECC agreed that the other polling stations quarantined by the IEC were properly excluded from the election results.

Simply put, the invalidation of 210 polling stations represents a loss of tens of thousands of votes cast for President Karzai. However, the incumbent is still expected to stay on top and eventually emerge as winner.

Under the Afghan Electoral Law, ECC decisions and orders are final and binding. The IEC has responsibility for implementing all of ECC orders before announcing the final results.

Kabul-based diplomats say international powers including the US, France, Britain and the United Nations have pressed the key candidates to cut a deal so as to obviate the need for a second round.

"It was after a flurry of diplomatic efforts by major international players that Karzai and Abdullah agreed to a deal, under which demand for a runoff was dropped and four ministries were offered to the foreign minister -- the second-place finisher," revealed a source familiar with the tense negotiations.

On Saturday, an influential American lawmaker and the French foreign minister met the president in an effort to resolve the ballot dispute. US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator John Kerry and Bernard Kouchner underlined a middle path to end the stalemate.

The French foreign minister characterised the post-poll situation in Afghanistan as "very complicated." He observed the outside world did not understand what was going on in the war-torn country.

"Your friends outside -- supporting freedom for a democratic Afghanistan fighting against terrorism, are a bit lost. They don't understand what's going on here. This is necessary for us to understand."

In the midst of reviewing its new strategy for Afghanistan, the Obama administration is yet to take a decision on surging US troop levels in the war-hit country due to the prevailing uncertainty.

The White House chief of staff stressed on Sunday the poll outcome must be legitimate to produce a credible government. "There are basically two roads there, or two basic processes. One is a runoff election between the two top candidates, or negotiations between those candidates. But the end result must be a legitimate and credible government to the Afghan people."

John Emanuel told the CNN in an interview: "That's what is important. It's the Afghans making a decision about what type of government they are going to have and what road they're going to take to that point."

The result, for the Obama administration, was whether there was a credible government and a legitimate process, he stressed.

Right now the question before the US administration, according to him, is: Does the United States have a credible Afghan partner for this process that can provide the security and the type of services that the Afghan people need?

mud/pr