Karzai Rivals Whittle Away at Vote Lead
97086
KABUL, 23 October 2004 - Hamid Karzai remained on course yesterday to win Afghanistanâs first direct presidential election, but with a quarter of the vote still to be counted, rivals were whittling down his lead to possibly force a run-off.
9902
Kabul - Afghanistan&#39;s vote count slowed as it drew to completion on Monday, a day after incumbent leader Hamid Karzai secured a landslide win in preliminary results.
499409
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Early results yesterday showed interim leader Hamid Karzai far ahead of his chief rivals in Afghanistan's first democratic presidential election after a quarter-century of war.
39401
Afghan presidential candidate Yunus Qanooni adjusts his glasses during an interview in Kabul on Sunday, Oct.17. 2004. Hamid Karzai&#39;s closest rival in Afghanistan&#39;s landmark election refused to concede defeat
382771
KABUL, Afghanistan - The chief rival of interim President Hamid Karzai said he has evidence of organized fraud in Afghanistan's election and accused the U.N.-Afghan electoral commission on Monday of ignoring his complaints.    Karzai, Afghanistan's stopgap president since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, had captured 62.6 percent of the 1.04 million ballots counted by Monday - about 13 percent of the vote...
639249
Afghans turned out to vote in large numbers on Saturday, but Hamid Karzai and his rivals disputed the integrity of the vote.
511172
KABUL, Afghanistan: Afghanistan&#39;s interim leader, Hamid Karzai, held a 45 percentage point lead Monday in preliminary results from the country&#39;s first presidential election, though a chief rival said the validity of the vote was in doubt.
731089
As counting in Afghanistan's presidential  election neared its end, a dip in incumbent Hamid Karzai's lead  on Saturday increased the burden on an independent panel to  decide if voting irregularities could have upset the result.
100485
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Vote counting in Afghanistan&#39;s historic elections is almost finished, with incumbent President Hamid Karzai on course to win a simple majority.
281414
The first results released in Afghanistan's presidential election put President Hamid Karzai in the lead after 7513 votes were counted in the northern province of Kunduz, Afghanistan's electoral commission said.
224408
KABUL, Afghanistan - Interim leader Hamid Karzai took an early lead as vote counting began in Afghanistan's landmark presidential election, after allegations of ballot-box stuffing, voter intimidation and multiple voting forced five days of delay.    The tally was halted Friday so the 1,000 Afghans on the counting staff could have the day off to celebrate the start of Ramadan, the Islamic fasting month...
33726
Early results today put interim leader Hamid Karzai far ahead of his chief rivals in Afghanistanâs landmark presidential election as the vote count was suspended for the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
683501
KABUL, Afghanistan - Hamid Karzai's closest rival in Afghanistan's landmark election insisted Sunday he has a chance for victory, saying Karzai's commanding lead was based on early results and the election could turn on an investigation of fraud allegations.    Former Education Minister Yunus Qanooni told the Associated Press that he was preparing to be in the political opposition as the country moves toward Western-style democracy - though he added that whether he recognizes the results depends on the honesty of the probe into fraud complaints...
24435
The crisis surrounding Afghanistan's  historic presidential election appeared to end on Monday as  President Hamid Karzai's chief rival said he and other  candidates were withdrawing their rejection of the weekend  poll.
759575
Early returns Friday from Afghanistan&#39;s first presidential election put incumbent President Hamid Karzai in the lead, the Financial Times reported Friday.
170679
With almost 70 percent of the vote counted in Afghanistan&#39;s presidential election, interim President Hamid Karzai appears to be holding on to his solid lead in the race.
442335
Afghanistan&#39;s President Hamid Karzai is leading in the country&#39;s first direct presidential election with 56 percent of the vote, according to the election Web site.