Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he intends to reach out to his opponents to build an inclusive government during his next term in office.
Karzai spoke to reporters Tuesday, the day after Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission announced that he had been acclaimed when a controversial runoff election was cancelled.
He said that he wants people from across Afghanistan to be part of his government, including his opponents and Taliban members who will co-operate with the administration.
"Those who want to work with me are most welcome, regardless of whether they opposed me in the election or whether they supported me in the elections," Karzai said.
Karzai, the incumbent Afghan president, had the most votes following the August 20 presidential election, according to the preliminary results.
However, after a UN-backed panel threw out nearly one-third of his vote tally because of fraud, Karzai did not have the 50 per cent margin of support needed to avoid a runoff against his main rival -- Abdullah Abdullah, the country's former foreign minister.
A runoff was called for Nov. 7, but was cancelled this week after Abulldah withdrew from the process, which prompted the election commission to cancel the vote.
Karzai's main challenger said he withdrew from the runoff because he believed the second election would also not be free or fair.
Abdullah's main challenger has suggested that he will work for reform from outside of the government, though there is some suggestion that he is engaged in talks with Karzai about ministry seats and possibly accommodating some of his suggestions. The U.S. and its allies have also been pressuring Karzai to reach out to the Abdullah camp.
Following the vote, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other world leaders issued statements congratulating Karzai on his long-debated electoral victory.
Harper called on the Afghan leader to strengthen "efforts to combat corruption" and to improve the level of basic services provided to Afghans.
Karzai referenced the corruption issue during his remarks on Tuesday, telling reporters that Afghanistan "has a bad name from corruption."
"We will do our best through all possible means to eliminate this dark stain from our clothes," he said.
From Ottawa, Harper also said that the Afghan leader's willingness to participate in a runoff should be taken as a sign of his good faith and commitment to having a fair election.
"While these Afghan-led elections were not without challenges it is important to consider how far the Afghan electoral process has come since the fall of the Taliban," Harper said in a statement.
Prior to its cancellation, Afghan officials had been scrambling to put the runoff election together amid major security and logistical concerns.
The Taliban claimed that they had been successful in banishing the runoff election, through the threats and attacks they unleashed on Afghans in recent days and weeks.
"Our brave mujahedeen were able to disrupt the entire process. Even the air strikes and ground forces were not able to stop our mujahedeen from their attacks," the Taliban said in a statement.
With files from The Associated Press and The Canadian Press
