EU observers say 1.5 mln Afghan votes 'suspicious'

(KABUL) - European Union election observers said Wednesday that around 1.5 million votes cast in Afghanistan's troubled elections last month could be fraudulent.

"We have calculated 1.5 million suspicious votes," said Dimitra Ioannou, the deputy head of the EU Election Observation Mission to Afghanistan.

She told reporters 1.1 million votes cast for the incumbent Hamid Karzai were suspicious and 300,000 for his main rival Abdullah Abdullah. The remainder of the suspicious votes were cast for other candidates.

The August 20 election has been overshadowed by allegations of widespread fraud that are threatening to undermine the final result.

Preliminary results are due to be released Wednesday, although the final declaration of a winner is not likely for some weeks yet, officials say.