The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said it had found 'clear and convincing evidence of fraud' during Afghanistan's presidential election last August.

After a lengthy two-month wait, 1.3 million ballots from 210 polling stations across Afghanistan have been ordered to be discounted in the result.

President Karzai now faces a second-round of voting against main rival Abdullah Abdullah, his former foreign minister and runner-up in the August election, if ordered by the Independent Election Commission (IEC).

'Now that we have the ECC orders, we expect the IEC to implement those orders with haste and move swiftly to issue the final certified results or the need for a runoff as required by Afghan electoral law,' said UN spokesperson Aleem Siddique.

Initial results released last month credited Karzai with nearly 55 percent of the vote, with Abdullah on 28 percent. Now, according to an analysis by US-based Democracy International, Karzai's share of the vote has fallen to 48.3 percent - below the 50 percent required to avoid a 'runoff' election. Concordantly, Abdullah's share rose from to 31.6 percent.

Afghan MP and Karzai ally Mohammad Moin Marastyal said the ECC was purposefully undermining the president. A majority of the members of the commission are non-Afghans, prompting many of the incumbent administration to suggest that it is controlled by 'foreign interests.'
'Effort has been made to lower Karzai's vote to below 50 percent,' Mr Marastyal told Reuters. 'Now we are in a deadlock.'

Although it is legally bound to accept the EEC's final ruling, there are fears the IEC - widely regarded as pro-Karzai - is likely to challenge the decision precipitating yet another crisis in only the second election under the new Afghan Constitution.

Moreover, this further blow to Karzai's legitimacy will further complicate US President Obama's decision whether to approve an additional 40,000 troops to stabilise the country as requested by military leaders. Washington has made it clear that troops will not be sent until the domestic political situation has been resolved.

Obama's Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel told American news networks that the administration's decision on escalation was not likely to be forthcoming: 'There's not a security force, an army, the type of services that are important for the Afghans to become true partners. It would be reckless to make a decision on US troop levels if, in fact, you haven't done a thorough analysis of whether there's an Afghan partner ready to fill that space that the US troops would create and become a true partner in governing.'