Afghanistan's election watchdog says it has disqualified 19 winning candidates in the country's parliamentary elections after allegations of fraud were upheld.
The Electoral Complaints Commission said Sunday two second-place candidates who would have gained by the disqualifications were also ruled not eligible for the same reasons.
An official said the candidates do not have a right to appeal the decision.
The commission has been investigating some 2,500 complaints that were considered serious after the September 18 elections.
The vote for the 249-seat parliament is being watched by Afghan President Hamid Karzai's Western allies for signs that the Afghan leader is committed to reforming his corruption-ridden government.
Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
