New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday applauded Afghanistan's leader Hamid Karzai and election officials for abiding by their constitution and agree to a run-off election. Ban said the second round vote on November 7 should be monitored more closely to deter fraud as far as security allows and that the vote should be free and fair as well as transparent.
"I commend the President Karzai for the leadership ha has displayed and for his commitment to ensuring full respect of Afghanistan's constitution and its democratic processes," Ban said.
He also commended Karzai's rival, Abdullah Abdullah, for his "dignified approach" to the electoral campaign and the Afghan commissions responsible for the August 20 presidential election.
"These elections were held under extremely difficult and even dangerous circumstances," Ban said.
"The courage and patience demonstrated by the Afghan people and their leaders must be recognized and applauded. They have voted in the face of intidimation and insecurity," the UN leader said.
