Scenarios intriguing as result of Afghan vote nears

KABUL: The result of Afghanistan's presidential election is expected within days, nearly two months after the August 20 vote.

The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), a UN-backed watchdog which found "clear and convincing evidence of fraud," must rule on whether enough votes are invalid to overturn a preliminary victory by incumbent Hamid Karzai.

Karzai won 54.6 percent of the vote, but if enough votes were disqualified to push his total below 50 percent he would face his former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah in a second round.