Afghan election boycott ends, vote count soon

With ballot counting expected to begin later Wednesday, Uzbek general Abdul Rashid Dostum joined the two other main challengers in agreeing to recognize the eventual outcome of the country's first ever direct presidential vote.

"Dostum is of the view that the election is a major achievement for everyone," said spokesman Faizullah Zaki.

"He met yesterday with the candidates and all termed the election a victory, but they all said that there were violations and that they should be assessed."

A panel appointed by the UN-Afghan Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) was in Kabul Wednesday to assess complaints among candidates of multiple voting made possible by a mix-up over the ink used to mark voters' thumbs.

On Saturday, 15 of 18 candidates announced they would boycott the vote, casting a pall over a day when millions of Afghan men and women queued outside polling stations across the war-ravaged country in defiance of Taliban threats to launch major attacks.

Since then the rebellion has unraveled. Dostum joins Yunus Qanuni, who is expected to come second behind Karzai, and Mohammad Mohaqiq, another major contender, in backing down.