EXCERPT: "President Hamid Karzai will be sworn in on November 19 for another five years under the scrutiny of foreign leaders who Wednesday stepped up pressure on the Afghan leader to act against corruption. Karzai, 51, will be sworn in for his second five-year term at a ceremony attended by local and foreign dignitaries, Afghan officials said, capping more than two months of political crisis after a fraud-tainted election. An official in Karzai's office told AFP on condition of anonymity that the president will likely announce his cabinet two weeks after the swearing-in. The huge fraud that marred the August 20 presidential election highlighted the scale of corruption in Afghanistan's government and has led to enormous international pressure on Karzai's new administration to clean up graft. Karzai's ties with the West have cooled over corruption and spiralling insecurity. He was declared the winner by election officials when his challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, abandoned a run-off this month."
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Related articles:
'Corruption in Afghanistan cuts both ways', IPS, 11 November 2009
'Afghan anti-graft office tries to build up muscle', AFP, 10 November 2009
'Poll: Most view Karzai government corrupt', UPI, 10 November 2009
'Factbox: Key figures in Afghanistan's political scene', Reuters, 10 November 2009
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