After a variety of different reports, high-ranking United States diplomat Peter Galbraith has been officially removed from the UN mission in Afghanistan after he made fraud allegations in the region.
Peter Galbraith suggested, in a letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, that the top UN envoy in Afghanistan withheld information of election fraud to benefit incumbent President Hamid Karzai, according to
Russia Today. Two UN officials confirmed that Galbraith was being recalled by Ki-moon.
Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide, reports the
Associated Press, prevented Galbraith and other officials from taking proper actions that would have released the information. Galbraith went as far as calling for a complete recount.
However, Galbraith has denied all reports that he had been fired. In an e-mail to the
BBC, Galbraith said, “The secretary general appointed me and has not fired me so far as I know.”
Dan McNorton, a UN spokesperson, declined to confirm the reports; however he did state, “We are aware of the reports. An announcement of this nature would usually come from the secretary-general's office in New York, but so far there has been no announcement.”
But finally, a UN statement confirmed that Galbraith was being removed from the mission, "The secretary general has made this decision in the best interest of the mission. He reaffirms his full support for his special representative, Kai Eide."
Many Afghan lawmakers want a criminal investigation into possible election fraud. European Union analysts say that 1.5 million of the total votes cast could be fraudulent.
