Afghan Election Officials Begin To 'Invalidate' Fraudulent Votes

Afghan election workers sort ballot papers during an audit of the presidential runoff vote in the country's general election at a counting center in Kabul on August 25.

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC) has begun invalidating fraudulent votes cast in the June 14 presidential runoff.

The invalidating process, which started on August 25, involves canceling votes deemed fraudulent in an audit of all 8 million ballot papers.

It takes places in the presence of monitors and journalists. The IEC said invalidation figures will be published daily.

Afghanistan's election process entered a deadlock after two candidates, former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, claimed victory.

The audit that was agreed as a part of a U.S.-brokered deal to resolve the dispute has not yet been completed.

Outgoing President Hamid Karzai has said his successor must be inaugurated on September 2 and that the date would not change.

With reporting by AFP and Reuters