Afghan presidential elections will be held on August 20

Kabul, Jan. 29 (ANI): Afghanistan's Election Commission chief Azizullah Ludin announced that its second ever presidential election would be held on August 20, three months late because of insecurity and logistic problems blighting the war-torn country.

Azizullah Ludin told a news conference here on Thursday, 'The commission decided to hold the election on August 20.".President Hamid Karzai, who won the first presidential vote in 2004 is expected to stand for re-election but his position has since weakened considerably because of endemic violence and corruption.

The polls should have been held by May 22, in keeping with the constitution, but a postponement was widely expected amid spiralling insecurity, especially in the south where thousands of extra US troops are expected to deploy.

Afghan electoral law invests the commission with the power to change the date of the presidential poll should anything call into question the legitimacy of the vote.

"I have all the arguments (for a postponement) and all the points, security, budgetary and technical problems... you can see how many problems we have here," , the Dawn quoted Ludin as saying.

Ludin said, "The electoral commission regularly met Afghan and international security forces, and added that all agreed a postponement was necessary".

He added, 'We are not in a normal security situation here in Afghanistan and every aspect we have to discuss".(ANI)