Afghanistan will hold a runoff election after all. After weeks of intense speculation, fueled by allegations of fraud in the first round of the presidential ballot, election monitors have concluded that incumbent President Hamid Karzai did not win an outright majority.
Holding another vote will be difficult, given the approach of winter and the Taliban's efforts to disrupt the vote. But Afghanistan must have a legitimate government if there is to be any hope of peace in that embattled country.
The first round in Afghanistan's presidential election was held Aug. 20. Mr. Karzai, president since 2001, won the ballot, claiming 54.6 percent of the votes cast in the 36-candidate race. According to Afghan law, an outright victory — with more than 50 percent of the votes cast — would have eliminated the need for a runoff. The top contender, Mr. Abdullah Abdullah, a foreign minister in a previous Karzai government, challenged the results, claiming widespread fraud.