Anticlimactic

Afghanistan’s Same-Old President

Karzai wins by default.

Afghanistan’s election commission officially extended Hamid Karzai’s term as the president of Afghanistan during a news conference in Kabul on Monday. The anticlimactic victory comes on the heels of an aborted runoff, which was called off after Karzai’s opponent, Prime Minister Abdullah Abdullah, backed out. Abdullah withdrew after accusing the Independent Election Commission of bias. The U.S. Embassy, however, issued a statement of support that said the commission’s decision was “according to its mandate under Afghan law.” Obama has been waiting for a legitimate Afghan government to be established before deciding whether to authorize the deployment of additional troops and was quick to support Karzai’s win. Karzai has lead the country since 2001; Monday’s decision gives him another five-year term.