Afghan elections look like going to a second round

As forecast (thus passim) Ashraf Ghani Amadzai and Abdulllah Abdullah appear to have polled around 44 and 42 per cent of the votes cast, with Rassoul trailing at under 10 per cent. The polls are somewhat elastic, however. Newsweek, for example, for some reason reported Rassoul as a front runner, despite evidence that he is at best running a distant third. It is also interesting to note that authoritative sources such as The Economist reported Abdullah as leading and remain keen to point out Ghani's links to strongman General Dostum, former 2009 Karzai warlord supporter, while failing to note that Abdullah's running mate, Hazari warlord Mohaqiq also supported Karzai in 2009 and arguably has as colourful a past in the Northern Alliance. Just saying. Ghani's camp claimed a 57 per cent majority based on their own exit polls, a claim quickly withdrawn. It is almost certain that there will be a runoff when votes are finally collated and counted. Abdullah, whom certain Washington elements appear to favour, has also declared himself the winner, hinting at a deal with Rassoul, the Karzai candidate. If this were indeed the case, he might be in a strong position to win the second round.... More