Afghan President Pushes For Early Vote -- Everyone Else Disagrees

President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan in Laghman Province on Feb. 18. Mr. Karzai decreed Saturday that elections would be held in April or May. His current five-year term ends May 21. Rahmat Gul/Associated Press

Afghan President Moves Up August Elections -- New York Times

KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai decreed Saturday that presidential elections be moved forward to April or May, just weeks after they were set for August, in what appears to be an attempt to avert constitutional challenges to his legitimacy.

Mr. Karzai, who has declared his intention to run for a second term, is supposed to step down on May 21, when his current five-year term ends, under the terms of the country’s Constitution. But Afghanistan’s election commission announced in January that weather conditions and poor security had forced it to delay presidential and provincial elections until Aug. 20, which immediately raised questions over Mr. Karzai’s legitimacy for the intervening three months.

Read more ....

More News On The Election Call In Afghanistan

Afghan President Calls for Earlier Vote -- Voice of America
US Resists Karzai Poll Date Call -- BBC News
Karzai Wants Earlier Afghan Election -- Associated Press
Karzai Pushes for Early Afghan Vote -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. Secretary of State calls on Afghan President Karzai -- China View
Vote date? Afghans accuse Karzai of 'sabotage' -- AP
Afghan President Accused of 'Sabotage' Over Election Date -- Radio Free Europe
Uneasy Karzai calls early Afghan vote -- WA Today
Afghan Election Commission has yet to back Presidential Order -- China View