Runoff expected in Afghan election 8211; report

Preliminary election results issued on Tuesday gave Karzai more than 54 per cent of valid votes tallied,putting him above the 50 per cent threshold needed to avoid a runoff with his closest rival,former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

But Afghanistan8217;s ambassador in Washington,Said Jawad,said on Thursday that a second round of voting was 8220;likely,8221; the Post reported.

In a New York Times interview published on Thursday,the ambassador said Karzai8217;s government was preparing for the electoral commission to announce on Saturday a runoff was necessary.

Citing a US official in Afghanistan,the Post reported that ballots listing both Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah were printed in London in anticipation of a runoff and have arrived at the United Nations8217; mission in Kabul.

The inconclusive August election,where widespread fraud was reported,is a factor in the Obama administration8217;s current review of its strategy in Afghanistan.

General Stanley McChrystal,the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan,has recommended deploying an additional 40,000 U.S. troops,beyond the 68,000 due to be in place by the end of this year.