AFGHAN president Hamid Karzai has vowed to form an inclusive government, after stern warnings from western supporters he would have to work harder to root out corruption.
Election officials on Monday cancelled a presidential run-off vote after Mr Karzai's rival, Abdullah Abdullah, withdrew, citing serious concerns about election fraud.
The outcome leaves Nato allies to work with a partner whose legitimacy has bee
n questioned, while Mr Karzai faces a strengthened opposition.
His return as leader removes at least one obstacle as US president Barack Obama decides whether to send up to 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan, where violence this year has reached its worst level since the Taleban was overthrown in 2001.
After stern warnings from Mr Obama, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and other western leaders, Mr Karzai vowed yesterday to form an inclusive administration. "My government will be for all Afghans and all those who want to work with me are most welcome," he said in a nationally televised victory speech.
"There will be crucial changes in our future government. Now we are determined to use all our forces, by any means, to remove this stain (of corruption] from our soil."
Dr Abdullah, who once served as Mr Karzai's foreign minister, has said he will not join the government but will work from the outside for reforms and for national unity.
Even so, those close to Mr Karzai and Dr Abdullah say they spent the past few days negotiating privately about ministry seats or accommodating Dr Abdullah's platform in some way.
But while Mr Karzai said he was committed to reform, some analysts felt he did not spell out his plans in sufficient detail, indicating that no major changes were planned. "We are probably headed the next five years the way we've experienced the last five years," Kabul-based political analyst Haroun Mir said.
Afghanistan endured weeks of political uncertainty after August's first-round vote was marred by widespread fraud, much of it in favour of Mr Karzai, a crisis deepened by a resurgent Taleban, which had vowed to disrupt the election.
The Taleban called Mr Karzai's return a farce and vowed to continue its fight to drive foreign forces out of Afghanistan.
The Islamist militants said their fighters had "paralysed" the electoral process with their attacks, including an assault on a United Nations guest-house last week in which five foreign UN staff were killed.
Mr Karzai called for "peace and unity" and repeated earlier calls for talks with "moderate" elements of the Taleban.
There are about 67,000 US troops and 9,000 UK troops in Afghanistan. A White House spokesman said a decision by Mr Obama on troop levels was still weeks away.
