US resists Karzai poll date call

The US has reiterated it prefers an August date for presidential elections in Afghanistan, despite President Hamid Karzai's call for polls on 21 April.
The US state department said elections in August would best ensure a free vote in a secure environment.On Saturday, Mr Karzai called for polls before his term ends in May. The Afghan Independent Elections Commission says elections should be held by 20 August.The president has no power to unilaterally choose election dates.
But his term of office ends on 21 May, potentially creating a constitutional crisis if polls are held much later.According to Article 61 of Afghanistan's constitution, elections should be held 30 to 60 days before 22 May, the end of Mr Karzai's five-year term.The Independent Election Commission (IEC) says there is a contradiction between the constitution and electoral law which meant the president could stay in power until October - five years after he won the last election - or December, five years after he took his oath of office, Reuters news agency reported.International monitors have said it would be difficult to hold a fair election by April because of security concerns, bad weather and the logistical challenges of getting ballots.
'Orderly process'
In Washington, state department spokesman Robert Wood said the US supports the "underlying principles articulated by President Karzai" for the elections to be held in April.However, Mr Wood said the US "reiterates" its view that elections in August, as proposed by the Independent Elections Commission, "is the best means to assure every Afghan citizen would be able to express his or her political preference in a secure environment".Afghanistan requires "an orderly, open and democratic process that ensures continuity of government through the election period to maintain political stability," he added.Mr Karzai has been under considerable pressure over the delay and has been accused of using it to illegally extend his rule in breach of the constitution, says the BBC's Ian Pannell in Kabul.Now he has put the onus for deciding when the vote should be held, and ultimately who runs the country in the event of a delay, back at the feet of the commission and his opponents, our correspondent says.The US and other members of the international community supported the IEC's recommendation for an August poll, as the 17,000 foreign troops expected to bolster peacekeeping forces can be used to secure voting stations from the Taleban, reports say.IEC chief Azizullah Ludin said that 20 August was chosen for the presidential polls after consultations with Afghan and international security forces.
"They told us there will be new security forces here... and they will guarantee security," Mr Ludin told a news conference in Kabul in January.Afghanistan continues to experience militant attacks and suicide bombings by the Taleban, who were ousted from power in the US-led invasion of 2001.