Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he accepts a decision by the
country's election commission to hold a presidential vote on August
20th and intends to stay in office until the election.
Mr. Karzai announced the decision Saturday, a week after demanding the vote be held before his five-year term expires in May.
Opposition groups have insisted that Mr. Karzai step down when his term expires and install a caretaker government.
The Afghanistan election commission said it scheduled the vote for
August 20th because of concerns about logistics, security and the harsh
winter weather.
The United States and other groups said it would be difficult to hold a fair, free and secure presidential vote before August.
U.S. support for the embattled president came into question after the
Obama administration openly accused Mr. Karzai of failing to crack down
on government corruption.