Afghan Election Staffers Fired for Fraud

[Eugene]

Afghan Election Staffers Fired for Fraud


Sunday October 16, 2005 12:01 PM

By DANIEL COONEY

Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A U.N.-backed election commission has
dismissed about 50 of its staff for suspected fraud in last month's
legislative polls, officials said Sunday, raising fears for the
legitimacy of Afghanistan's final formal step toward democracy.

Some 680 ballot boxes, about 3 percent of the total, have been taken
out of the counting process because of suspicions they were stuffed,
said Richard Atwood, chief of operations for the joint U.N.-Afghan
election commission.

But he said, "the fraud that has occurred does not affect the
integrity of the election" and he ruled out a re-count.

"The fraud is not systematic or widespread across the country," Atwood
told reporters in Kabul. Election organizers have "done all we can
to ensure this fraud is caught."

<snip>

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5347503,00.html

[Why Syzygy]

1. "Afghanistan's final formal step toward democracy"?

When did that happen? Aren't people still getting bombed and firing back?
When was the Victory Parade? I missed it.

Oh ballot stuffing? And exactly how was that determined?

What a farce, ala King George.

[bluecrush]

2. I wonder

if any of those fired staffers worked for W in Ohio??

[LynnTheDem]

3. SUCCESS! PROGRESS!

RAH! RAH! RAH!

And Afghanis can only use SMALL rocks now to stone women to death!

:sarcasm:

[stillcool]

4. "The Fraud does not affect the integrity of the election."..

of course not...every election has a little fraud...don't go criminalizing politics.:sarcasm: