Probe clears the way for Karzai victory

Hamid Karzai has been confirmed as victor of Afghanistan's landmark presidential election after investigators concluded that fraud and technical errors were too minor to overturn his triumph.

A formal announcement declaring him the winner of a five-year term as the country's first directly elected leader was expected later today.

But his closest challenger, Yunus Qanooni, has refused to concede defeat.

Afghanistan's UN-sponsored electoral board approved the report by a three-strong panel called in to investigate allegations of cheating, board spokesman Sultan Baheen said.

The US-backed interim leader won 55.4 percent support in the Oct. 9 election, according to results on the official election Web site, 39 points clear of Qanooni and enough to avoid a second round.

The panel was called in after Qanooni and other challengers claimed massive fraud in favor of Karzai.

"There were shortcomings," said Staffan Darnolf, a Swedish member of the panel that examined the vote. "But they could not have materially affected the overall result."