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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (4) Slideshow Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared UPDATE 1-Google execs convicted in Italy for Down's video 4:32am EST Dutch parties tussle over approach to far right 23 Feb 2010 US Jan mass layoffs edge up on weak manufacturing 23 Feb 2010 Pentagon OKs lifting ban on women in submarines 23 Feb 2010 How long can the U.S. dollar defy gravity? 23 Feb 2010 How long can the U.S. dollar defy gravity? 23 Feb 2010 Pentagon OKs lifting ban on women in submarines 23 Feb 2010 Yahoo partners with Twitter to boost social features 1:10am EST Dutch parties tussle over approach to far right 23 Feb 2010 Democrats: Say Goodbye to Wall Street? 7:36am EST Karzai criticized over Afghan poll watchdog move Sayed Salahuddin KABUL Wed Feb 24, 2010 10:48am EST Related News U.S. Afghan death toll hits 1,000 Tue, Feb 23 2010 Karzai removes foreigners from Afghan poll watchdog Tue, Feb 23 2010 Afghan president renews peace calls to Taliban Sat, Feb 20 2010 Karzai urges Taliban talks before U.S. pullout Sun, Jan 31 2010 < 1 / 8 > View Full Size KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's main opposition on Wednesday criticized President Hamid Karzai's removal of foreign observers from a U.N.-backed electoral watchdog as "autocratic" and urged international pressure to ensure impartial elections. World The five-member Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), tasked with reviewing voting fraud, previously had three foreign members appointed by the United Nations and last year nullified a third of Karzai's votes in the presidential poll as fraudulent. Karzai's decree to change the law could raise doubts over the panel's independence and set off new political tensions as foreign and local troops press ahead with a major offensive against the Taliban in an early test of U.S. President Barack Obama's troop surge strategy. It could also put him in a new conflict with Western donors who have said they will not fund September 18 parliamentary elections without electoral reforms. The main opposition National Front urged donor nations, legislators and other political parties to develop a mechanism to guarantee transparent elections. "This shows that Mr. Karzai is using one of his autocratic methods by not consulting with parliament, civil society and political parties," National Front spokesman Fazel Sangcharaki said. Once a darling of the West, Karzai has been under fire over poor governance and for failing to clamp down on corruption and the illegal drugs industry, both of which are seen to be feeding the Taliban-led insurgency. Yet Karzai has overcome crises. He has secured the support of regional power brokers belonging to various ethnic groups and won the presidential poll by giving them positions in the government. Sayed Yousuf Halim, head of the Justice Ministry's legislation department, said the decree took effect on February 13. Karzai now has the power to choose the ECC's members after consulting with the chief justice and heads of parliament's two chambers, he said. Karzai's most important backer, the United States, did not criticize the move but NATO coalition member Canada expressed concern it could weaken the watchdog and imperil the credibility of the parliamentary elections. "A strong and independent ECC is vital for the future of a democratic Afghanistan, and any efforts to weaken this body are disturbing," Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon said. Free and fair elections are part of a Western strategy to return the nation to stability, while a NATO-led military operation battles a renewed Taliban insurgency with the aim of returning all of Afghanistan to the Karzai-led government. "This is a blow to the process of universal, fair and free elections," Afghan opposition lawmaker Fawziya Koufi said. On Tuesday, Karzai's spokesman, Siamak Herawi, said the Afghan government had long wanted to "Afghanize" the electoral process. He said parliament could not overturn the law, since Karzai signed it into effect when the legislature was in recess. Analysts say the election watchdog move could play into the hands of the Taliban if its triggers more controversy. "He (Karzai) saw how the presidential election played out and is now trying to ensure that he doesn't face the same problems in the parliamentary polls, one where he will be dealing with multiple opponents as opposed to one," said Kamran Bokhari, regional South Asia director at global intelligence firm STRATFOR. "Ultimately, this works to the advantage of the Taliban, especially in the context of the U.S. surge." Opponents criticized the national elections body for failing to halt last year's fraud, which the ECC documented before throwing out nearly a million votes. That left Karzai faced with a runoff until his opponent pulled out. (Additional reporting and writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Bryson Hull) World Comments See All Comments (4) | Post Comment Feb 24, 2010 7:07am EST I want the $3 trillion we spent in Iraq back. At least we should own a piece of the oil action, generate a rate of return on our investment, if you know what I mean. I don’t know how much longer we can spend trillions on wars that we can’t win. Let some other sap chase the Taliban around the world. I work for http://storyburn.com and the mess that lands on our doorstep is crazy bad. We have the most read home foreclosure story on the web plus several job hunting stories. hambo Report As Abusive Feb 24, 2010 9:41am EST the UN should charge muslims with inciting hatred and discrimination against non-muslims,,, and crimes against humanity,,, lars007 Report As Abusive Feb 24, 2010 9:41am EST islamic apartheid,,, The Evils of Islamic Political Ideology: Oppression of non-Muslims http://www.rightsidenews.com/200906014988/homeland-security/the-evils-of-islamic-political-ideology-oppression-of-non-muslims.html lars007 Report As Abusive Feb 24, 2010 9:49am EST terrorislam wants peace,,, a piece of your country that is,,, and another piece,,, and another piece,,, and another piece,,, until they have the world,,, they are always going into some country and then saying they want another terrorislamic state,,, http://www.terrorismawareness.org/what-really-happened/ stop them now before it is too late,,, lars007 Report As Abusive See All Comments (4) Add a Comment More from Reuters Bernanke says rates to stay low for long time WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress on Wednesday that a weak job market and low inflation would likely allow the central bank to keep interest rates at very low levels for "an extended period." New home sales hit record low Obama to appeal to business chiefs on job creation Google execs convicted in Italy for Down's video Toyoda arrives for grilling in Congress | Video Stocks up after Bernanke comments, housing weighs | Video » More Top News Grilling to test Toyoda's mettle Toyota's chief faces Congress amid allegations the automaker deliberately avoided a recall to save money. Follow our live coverage at 11 a.m. ET. Full Article Braced for tough questions Factbox: What will change? Video: Toyota driver's accelerator panic Autos Vancouver 2010: Yuna shows a license to thrill Kim Yuna's Bond Girl skating routine ended with a mimed pistol firing -- a warning shot to the South Korean's rivals. Full Article | Slideshow A crush that led to Olympic gold Games enthralled by emotion on ice Canada's men's hockey regains footing 2010 Winter Olympics © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts.com Buyouts Europe: Buyouts Conferences: Venture Capital Journal EVCJ International Financing Review International Securitisation Report Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

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