Washington, Oct 21 (DPA) US President Barack Obama Tuesday said Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s decision to accept a run-off election represents an “important precedent” for the country’s young democracy.
Karzai earlier Tuesday agreed to a second election after the UN-backed Election Complaints Commission stripped him of a third of his votes due to suspected fraud, bringing him below the 50-percent threshold required to win the Aug 20 election outright.

Obama called the announcement an “important step” that would help bring credibility to the country’s electoral process. The run-off, with former former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, will be held Nov 7.

“President Karzai’s actions established an important precedent for Afghanistan’s new democracy,” Obama said in a statement. “The Afghan Constitution and laws are strengthened by President Karzai’s decision, which is in the best interests of the Afghan people.”

Karzai’s announcement came after days of intense pressure from Western governments, including the US. The White House said Obama held separate phone conversations with Karzai and Abdullah to express appreciation for the candidates’ handling of the process.

Obama has been meeting for weeks with his top advisors as part of a comprehensive review of his strategy in Afghanistan, which has been stalled in part because of the political turmoil over the election.

Obama has said the review will be completed in the coming weeks.