After recounts following the 2009 Afghanistan election that saw Hamid Karzai win another term as President were finished, Karzai's vote total was reduced to 47%, the Washington Post is reporting. This will cause an automatic runoff election. Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission gave Karzai 54.6% of the original vote that was held August 20th. Link to the Washington Post article in its entirety is here. The runoff would be between Hamid Karzai and his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who received 28% of the vote in the last election.
Afghanistan Ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad is stating that Karzai's government is anticipating the need for a second vote based on what they expect to hear from the commission on Saturday. This is the first time Karzai or anyone connected to him has publicly stated that a runoff election might occur.
From the Washington Post:
The findings have major implications for the Obama administration's ongoing deliberations over Afghanistan war strategy and could eventually help remove the cloud of illegitimacy hanging over its partner government there. But a new election could also make a difficult situation worse, particularly if fraud is once again alleged or if the vote has to be delayed because of the onset of winter.
Some are saying that this may be the cause of much of the delay that has taken place with regard to the Obama Administration making a decision in moving forward, though this may have been unexpected (which would indicate to me that they are potentially going to take more time).
One of the strategies used in the war is trying to win the hearts and minds of the Afghan people, but it is quite difficult to tell citizens that we are trying to protect their democracy when it seems excruciatingly apparent that they currently do NOT have a true democracy. A thorough runoff election recommended and monitored by the UN may help answer this problem.
The New York Times has a different angle on the situation and what may unfold:
Another complicating factor, administration officials said, is the prospect that there could be a power-sharing agreement between Mr. Karzai and his main opponent, Abdullah Abdullah. Both Mr. Abdullah and the Karzai government’s ambassador to Washington hinted at that possibility on Thursday.
It's a mess, but at least this potential runoff gives the impression that the Afghanistan government is being held accountable for any inconsistencies in their election, unlike Iran.