Afghan president's political rival accepts runoff

President Hamid Karzai's chief political rival today agreed to take part in the November 7 runoff election, setting the stage for a high-stakes showdown in the face of Taliban threats and approaching winter snows.

Ex-Foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah made his comment to reporters one day after Karzai bowed to intense US and international pressure and accepted findings of a UN-backed panel that there had been massive fraud on his behalf in the August 20 vote.

Those findings showed Karzai failed to win the 50% required to avoid a runoff.

Election officials have fired 200 district election chiefs—about half of those from the first round—following complaints by candidates or observers about misconduct in their regions, the UN said last week.

Abdullah said he telephoned Karzai to thank him for agreeing to the second-round ballot.

"We are completely ready for the second round," Abdullah said, calling on Afghan officials to organise a "free, fair and credible election" with enough security to encourage people to turn out and vote.

Abdullah's declaration sets the stage for an election that UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon said would be a "huge challenge" to pull off without repeating the widespread fraud that marred the first-round balloting.

Finding replacements for election workers implicated in fraud will be difficult.