UNITED NATIONS, March 20: Opposition fears of an unfair election in Afghanistan this year are well-founded, and a rigged poll would fuel political instability and undermine support for democracy, a top UN envoy has warned.

The warning came as US-installed Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he welcomed a US deployment of 17,000 extra troops to Afghanistan but that efforts to stabilise the country were ‘seven years too late’.

Afghanistan is suffering its worst violence since US-led invading forces toppled the Taliban in 2001.

Presidential elections are due on Aug 20, with Karzai expected to be among the candidates. A vote that lacks legitimacy would be further grist for Taliban efforts to undermine popular support for the government and its Western allies.

“All involved -- the government, the opposition, and the international community -- must understand the costs of a flawed and unfair election process,” Kai Eide, the UN special envoy to Afghanistan, told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

“The result (of a rigged poll) would be prolonged political instability when stability is more than ever required (and) would create doubt in the minds of many Afghans about the value of democratic processes when confidence is needed,” he said, urging the Kabul government to address opposition concerns on the issue.

Eide did see some improvement: a push to reform the police and cut corruption. He also said heroin production was expected to fall this year in Afghanistan, the world's top producer.

Eide spoke of confusion over aid to Afghanistan. He said as much as $1 billion has been donated without going through the government, making it hard to monitor how the money was spent.—Reuters
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