Hamid Karzai, the master dealmaker of Afghan politics, appeared last night to be facing a far tighter re-election battle than would have seemed possible just a few months ago, when he was widely tipped for victory.
After preliminary results showed him virtually neck and neck with his main challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, the focus will now turn to the allegations that Mr Karzai's supporters have tried to influence the finely balanced vote in the incumbent's favour.
