KABUL, June 11: Afghanistan’s interim leader Hamid Karzai on Tuesday claimed that he had won the presidency, but later backed down after opposition from a number of delegates.

The incident added to the chaos and acrimony of the opening day of a tribal council to determine the next government.

Former king Mohammad Zahir Shah announced at the opening of the Loya Jirga, a traditional Afghan debating chamber that goes back centuries, that he did not want to restore the monarchy and that he was putting his support behind Hamid Karzai.

His statement was greeted with a wave of applause and it appeared Karzai took the clapping as a signal of being elected — even though no vote had taken place — rather than appreciation for the former king’s statement.

“The situation was confusing for us,” Karzai’s spokesman Yousuf Nooristani said. “Karzai thought the audience applause meant they were voting for him. Later he found out it was a mistake.”

But Karzai’s claim added to the fears of supporters of the former king that their view were being suppressed and that the Loya Jirga was in effect no more than a talking shop set up to back the United States’ favoured candidate.

Deep rifts have emerged between supporters of the former king, seen by many as the father of the war-torn nation, and those of the Western-educated Karzai, who was once an American resident and is considered an American stooge by his opponents.

The king’s announcement that he was not running for office came hours after a US envoy said he was stepping aside. This prompted speculation that he had been put under pressure by the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, asked about delegates’ complaints that Washington had backed Karzai, said:

“I don’t think that’s accurate...I think we can see the Loya Jirga unfolding before our eyes. It seems to be representative of all the people of Afghanistan.”—Reuters