The United States called for a full examination of alleged irregularities in last month's Afghan presidential election to ensure that Monday's announcement of preliminary results, which gave the lead to former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, was considered fair. Afghan officials released preliminary election results showing Ahmadzai with a significant lead for the presidency but said no winner could be declared because millions of ballots were being audited for fraud. The announcement came as Ahmadzai is locked in a dispute with former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, who has refused to accept any results until all fraudulent ballots are invalidated. In a statement Monday, the State Department acknowledged the preliminary results but said "these figures are not final or authoritative and may not predict the final outcome, which could still change based on the findings of the Afghan electoral bodies. Serious allegations of fraud have been raised and have yet to be adequately investigated." "A full and thorough review of all reasonable allegations of irregularities is essential to ensure that the Afghan people have confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and that the new Afghan president is broadly accepted inside and outside Afghanistan," the department wrote.
