Karzai declared new Afghan president

"Karzai is the winner," said Sultan Baheen of the Joint Electoral Management Body, three and a half weeks after the landmark October 9 ballot.

The results of Afghanistan's first ever presidential election will be formally certified in a public ceremony in Kabul at 3:00pm (1030 GMT), Baheen said.

Baheen named Karzai the victor shortly after the release of an expert panel's report on alleged irregularities on voting day.

The UN-appointed panel found that "shortcomings" on election day, including the failure and mix-up of indelible ink meant to stain voters' fingers to prevent multiple voting, did not impact the ballot's outcome.

"There were shortcomings ... but they could not have materially affected the overall result," the panel's report concluded, according to a copy sighted by AFP earlier Wednesday.