Allegations and counter-allegations, disputes and resignations have paved the way towards the uncertain political climate in Afghanistan. Nearly two months have passed since Afghans took to the polls, and the controversy over the result appears to be far from over. In fact, this political impasse and the accompanying inquiry into the elections have tossed the shaky country on an even more uncertain path.

Will fresh assessments from the Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) stabilise matters as Karzai continues to defend his victory? The already raging controversy over the credibility of the result, giving Karzai just over 50 per cent of the vote, was compounded by the resignation of Peter Galbraith, the highest-ranking American diplomat in Afghanistan and deputy to UN ambassador Kai Eide. Galbraith has been publicly contending that despite the façade of an inquiry there is still a “preferred” candidate and that the process through which fraud is being assessed is skewed in Karzai’s favour: “Let’s not mince words: there was one candidate who had control of the state apparatus.” Taken together, this is why there exists skepticism over whether the EEC inquiry and the Afghan backed Independent Election Commission’s next step will heal the situation. The IEC, the body responsible for the final count, is seen by Karzai’s critics to be weighed in his favour.

The kind of uncertainty that has prevailed is harmful both to the Afghan state and the countries involved in fighting the insurgency there. Speed and discretion are key. Afghan law stipulates that should the IEC declare the elections to be fraudulent, 15 days would be allotted for a fresh election to be held. It is high time this political stalemate is resolved, especially as the winter approaches.