After months of recounts, investigations and recriminations, Afghanistan's presidential election is over. Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah withdrew from a runoff scheduled for Nov. 7, prompting the Independent Election Commission to declare incumbent Hamid Karzai the winner by default. But it's by no means an unalloyed victory for Karzai. Allegations of fraud in the Aug. 20 vote, coupled with long-standing concerns over corruption in his administration, have undermined his credibility. Abdullah, Karzai's closest challenger, said the election process was so flawed that it wasn't worth participating in.
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