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Article: Afghan rival to announce withdrawal from runoff ; Move would damage Karzai's credibility
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- November 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2009 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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KABUL, Afghanistan - Abdullah Abdullah, the chief rival to
President Hamid Karzai, plans to announce today his decision to
withdraw from the Nov. 7 Afghan runoff election, handing a new five-
year term to Karzai but potentially damaging the government's
credibility, according to Western diplomats here and people close to
Abdullah.
But Abdullah seemed to be keeping his options open until the last
second, as he has done through the Afghan political crisis. Those
close to him, speaking on condition of anonymity yesterday, said
Abdullah was still trying to decide whether to publicly denounce
Karzai, whom he has accused of stealing the Aug. 20 election, or to
step down without a fight.
American ...