Afghan run-off cancelled: commission sources

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has decided a presidential run-off will not take place after the withdrawal of the only challenger to the incumbent Hamid Karzai, commission sources said Monday.

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has decided a presidential run-off will not take place after the withdrawal of the only challenger to the incumbent Hamid Karzai, commission sources said Monday.

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"It will not go to a run-off," one commission source told AFP ahead of a press conference where the announcement was expected to be confirmed.

Another source told AFP on condition of anonymity: "It has been decided that there will not be a run-off."

Karzai's rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the contest on Sunday, citing fears of a repeat of the fraud, which marred August's first round.