30 January 2009: Canadian Press
By STEVE RENNIE, THE CANADIAN PRESS
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan -- A top cabinet minister in Afghanistan's government ruled out a run for the country's presidency yesterday as he played down concerns about the election being delayed by several months.
Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, generally regarded as a strong performer with an unblemished reputation in President Hamid Karzai's government, said he had "never" thought of challenging for the country's top job.
"I will fully support President Karzai in his nomination. He's the great leader we have," Atmar said.
"He has had (a) difficult time, no doubt about it. A leader to navigate the Afghan broken ship was never easy. Afghan people will trust him again, and I will, as part of his team, fully support him."
The Afghan constitution requires that a presidential vote be held this spring, but allows for delays in the event of security concerns. Afghanistan's election commission said yesterday the election will be pushed back to Aug. 20 to give coalition forces more time to bolster security.
The delay comes one day after the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies warned Afghanistan is entering its most critical period since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
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