KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday accepted the resignation of his finance minister, who announced that he would run in the August presidential election, the president's office said.
Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi, finance minister for several years, announced Wednesday that he would stand in the elections, only the second-ever presidential vote in the war-torn country's history.
Ahadi "sent his resignation to the president after he announced his candidacy for the elections," a statement from Karzai's office said.
"The president accepted the resignation of... Anwar Ul-Haq Ahadi, appreciating his services and wished his success," it added.
Ahadi has become the first high-profile candidate to officially throw his hat into the ring for the presidency. Karzai has vowed to run for a second term but is considered weakened by rising unrest and government corruption.
Former Afghan interior minister Ali Ahmadi Jalali and Ahadi's predecessor as finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, are tipped as the main challengers to Karzai, but have yet to officially announced their candidatures.
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