KABUL — Afghan voters filed more than 2,500 complaints of ballot box stuffing and other election irregularities, an official said Tuesday, as fraud allegations by the two candidates and their supporters threaten to provoke a new political crisis.
The campaign tone has been sharply more accusatory than that of the first round of voting on April 5, when Afghans had eight candidates to choose from and all promised to adhere to the results released by the Independent Electoral Commission.
The stakes are higher now that the field is narrowed to two men who are vying to replace Hamid Karzai and lead the country as most US and allied forces withdraw by the end of 2014. The prospect of a nasty fight over the results also could dampen hopes that the country will be able to hold its first-ever peaceful transfer of authority.
The Obama administration is watching carefully. Both presidential hopefuls — Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai — have promised to sign a security pact with the United States that will allow up to 14,000 American and NATO troops to remain in the country next year.