Abdullah to Boycott Afghan Runoff Vote

Now it's Abdullah Abdullah who's a no-go. After intense diplomatic negotiations last week between the U.S. and President Hamid Karzai to move forward with the Afghan runoff elections, challenger Abdullah will likely announce this weekend that he will boycott the November 7 run-off elections. Abdullah's demands for the resignation of top officials and politicians to avoid fraud in the second round of voting have not been met. After widespread fraud in the August elections, a recount left Karzai with less than 50 percent of the vote, triggering a runoff, to which Karzai agreed last week. President Obama has been holding off on a decision to send more troops to Afghanistan until the election dispute was resolved, citing concerns for stability. Karzai is holding last minute talks with Abdullah, trying to head off a boycott, but Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speculated that Abdullah's withdrawal could be personal, rather than an objection to the legitimacy of the elections.