Afghan deal still tentative

Associated Press

KABUL, Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s president resisted demands from winning parliamentary candidates Sunday to dissolve a tribunal investigating alleged election fraud, potentially undercutting a deal in which he agreed to inaugurate the legislature this week.

President Hamid Karzai’s repeated refusals to accept the results of September’s parliamentary elections could undermine the new legislature’s authority and the electoral process even as Western allies design their military exit strategy around the idea of a stronger government.

Though the balloting was mired in fraud, the standoff has grown far beyond a question of ballot stuffing into a power struggle between the president and the elected parliamentarians. Both sides say the constitution and laws are on their side.

Sunday was the day parliament was originally scheduled to start work, but Karzai scuppered this deadline last week by announcing a one-month delay so the tribunal could continue investigations.