Karzai dismisses calls to remove Afghan commission chief for rigging election

A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday dismissed a demand by Mr. Karzai's challenger former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah to fire the election commission chairman. The spokesman said the request has no legal basis. The International Crisis Group’s report said Tuesday the commission chief (Azizullah Ludin) and all other officials implicated in the election fraud should be removed before the next vote. The group said a flawed run-off election will give the Taliban a significant strategic victory and erode public confidence in the electoral process and democratic institutions.