Karzai Widens His Lead

A winner may emerge sooner than we think: Afghan President Hamid Karzai has widened his lead over his opponent in the presidential election. As of a week ago, Karzai lead the vote with 46.2 percent, compared to 31.4 percent for his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah. But late on Saturday night, Karzai’s lead had extended significantly—to 50 percent—the number needed to avoid a run-off vote. Abdullah has alleged vote-rigging, and the official results won’t be announced until a panel has convened to investigate voter fraud later this month.