Karzai up for Reelection

Karzai to run for re-election Aljazeera — Hamid Karzai, the Afghan president, has formally announced he will stand for re-election in the country's August 20 presidential race. Announcing the move on Monday, Karzai acknowledged "some mistakes'' were made during his five-year term as president. click to read complete article

Karzai Enlists Former Warlord as Running Mate NY Times — President Hamid Karzai named a powerful former warlord as one of his two vice-presidential running mates on Monday, a day of scattered insurgent attacks that left as many as 26 people dead. The vice-presidential candidate, Muhammad Qasim Fahim, was Mr. Karzai’s vice president in his early administration, but was pushed aside in 2004 as Mr. Karzai tried to move away from traditional power blocs and bring more technocrats into the government. The government in Kabul, however, remains weak and troubled, and Mr. Fahim’s return appears to be a sign that Mr. Karzai is reaching for strong partners with broad support among former mujahedeen parties. click to read complete article

Hamid Karzai gets clear road to re-election as challengers fall by wayside Times UK — President Karzai's re-election campaign in Afghanistan appears almost unassailable amid opposition disarray and with less than a week to go for candidates to register for the battle. The Afghan President's likely re-election in the August poll follows increasing Western criticism of the corruption and incompetence of his government and despite polling data seen by The Times suggesting that he enjoyed only 15 per cent of popular support at the start of the year click to read complete article