Poll: Afghan Election Preview

On August 20, Afghanistan will hold its second presidential election since the Taliban were run out of town in 2001. New polling from the International Republican Institute Right (pdf) shows incumbent President Hamid Karzai with a 3-to-1 lead over his main rival, Ali Ahmad Jalali. However, Karzai needs to claim 50 percent of the vote for a first ballot victory, otherwise he'll face a run-off.

Angus-Reid has some good background on the Afghan election here.

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Photo credit: AP Photos