Afghans See Option of Karzai Staying On --- President Could Ensure Stability as Election Dispute Resists Settlement -- KABUL—Supporters of Afghanistan's deadlocked presidential contenders now are suggesting that President Hamid Karzai could remain in office to ensure stability while the rivals try to resolve their dispute over who won a June 14 runoff vote. -- "If the negotiations break down, if there is a threat of civil war, then there are alternatives—there could be an interim government, or the president could stay on," said Mahmood Karzai, a brother of the president and a key ally of Abdullah Abdullah, one of the two contenders for the presidency. -- The team of Ashraf Ghani, Mr. Abdullah's rival, has also considered the possibility of Mr. Karzai remaining in office if the crisis isn't resolved. -- In a telephone call with President Barack Obama, Mr. Ghani said agreeing to further concessions in negotiations with Mr. Abdullah would jeopardize his political capital and force him to go to Mr. Karzai to declare a state of emergency and nullify the election, according to a senior Ghani aide. However, a spokesman for Mr. Ghani denied the candidate said this. -- Mr. Karzai, who has been running the country since the U.S. toppled the Taliban in 2001, is supposed to step down this year, following elections that were meant to mark the first democratic transfer of power in Afghan history. But the June 14 presidential runoff to pick his successor has proved inconclusive, with both candidates claiming victory. -- Mr. Abdullah said widespread ballot stuffing took place on behalf of his rival, and rejected preliminary results that showed Mr. Ghani winning. -- This raised fears that the country could face a violent split along ethnic lines. The support base of Mr. Abdullah, who is half-Tajik and half-Pashtun, is in the country's north, west and center while Mr. Ghani's is in the Pashtun-majority southeast. -- Since the vote, months of U.S.-led efforts to broker a power-sharing agreement between the two camps have failed to break the deadlock, stoking political uncertainty just as foreign troops are leaving and the Taliban insurgency is pressing a countrywide offensive. -- Mr. Karzai has already stayed in office longer than planned. The inauguration date for a new president was originally set for Aug. 2. Both camps and Mr. Karzai say they want a successor to take over as soon as possible. -- "The continuation of the president's term—that's certainly not in the interest of Afghanistan, not in the interest of democracy and not in the interest of President Karzai himself," said Mr. Karzai's spokesman, Aimal Faizi. "He is doing his best to make the candidates reach an agreement. That's the only aim." -- The results of a United Nations-supervised audit of all votes cast in the runoff are expected to be released within days, but Mr. Abdullah, who criticized its invalidation rules as too lenient, has said he won't accept the tally. -- Members of Mr. Abdullah's camp have repeatedly warned that announcing the audit's results, which are widely expected to show Mr. Ghani winning, would compromise chances to reach a political deal. -- Talks between the two camps on the structure of a shared government are ongoing. Members of the rival campaigns said they held productive discussions over the weekend but sticking points remained. -- Above all, the two teams don't agree on the role of the chief executive officer, a new post that would dilute the powers of the president and would likely go to Mr. Abdullah or to a member of his camp. -- Above all, the two teams don't agree on the role of the chief executive officer, a new post that would dilute the powers of the president and would likely go to Mr. Abdullah or to a member of his camp. -- "Karzai is still the man who has the final word in the country." says Mohammad Mohaqeq, a powerful ally and a vice-presidential candidate of Mr. Abdullah. -- "He wants to negotiate a deal," said the aide to Mr. Ghani. "He is trying to insert himself into the situation and see if he can be the game-changer." -- "He wants to negotiate a deal," said the aide to Mr. Ghani. "He is trying to insert himself into the situation and see if he can be the game-changer." -- "He is still a tremendously powerful political figure," said a Western official. The official believes Mr. Karzai will continue to remain influential even after he formally exits the political state. -- The protracted uncertainty has worn on the morale of Afghans, many of whom say they would rather see Mr. Karzai stay in office than see the crisis continue. -- "It will be better if Karzai stays in power because Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani aren't going to solve their problems," says Safihullah, 25, who sells secondhand mobile phones in Kabul. "They've taken Afghanistan hostage." - More, WSJ, http://online.wsj.com/articles/afghans-see-option-of-karzai-staying-on-1410739482