The main rival of Afghanistan's interim president Hamid Karzai has conceded defeat in the October 9 election, with more than five percent of the votes still to be counted.
A spokesman for Yunus Qanuni says he will respect the nation's will even though he believes there was fraud. A U.N. - sponsored team is still probing the charges of vote fraud.
With more than 94 percent of the estimated ballots counted, Mr. Karzai has won 55 percent, while Mr. Qanuni has just over 16 percent. If Mr. Karzai holds that majority, he will avoid a runoff.
Election officials say they will not call the election until the investigation into the alleged vote fraud is complete and the vote count is final.