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Karzai's Main Rival Concedes in Afghan Presidential Vote


Preliminary results show that Afghanistan's interim President Hamid Karzai has won the presidential elections - and his chief rival, Yunus Qanuni, is conceding defeat.

A spokesman for Mr. Qanuni says he will respect the nation's will even though he believes there was fraud. A U.N.-sponsored team is probing the charges of vote fraud.

With more than 94 percent of the estimated ballots counted, Mr. Karzai has won 55 percent, while Mr. Qanuni has just over 16 percent. If Mr. Karzai holds that majority, he will avoid a runoff.

Election officials say they will not call the election until the investigation into the alleged vote fraud and the vote count are both complete.

An Afghan girl and an American woman were killed in Kabul Saturday when a Taleban suicide attacker detonated grenades on a popular shopping street. Three peacekeeping troops from Iceland and two Afghan civilians were wounded.

Some information for this report provided by AFP.

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