Afghan President Hamid Karzai will have to defeat 40 candidates in upcoming elections if he wants to stay in power.
Afghanelection officials released the final list of presidential candidatesSaturday, and it includes two former members of Mr. Karzai's Cabinets - ex-Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-Finance Minister AshrafGhani.
The final list of presidential candidates for the August 20 election also includes two women.
PresidentKarzai is seeking a second term in office with current Vice PresidentKarim Khalili and former Vice President Mohammad Qasim Fahim as his tworunning mates.
A worsening Taliban insurgency and charges ofgovernment corruption have weakened Mr. Karzai's image at home andabroad. But so far, a strong challenger to his re-election bid has notemerged.
The president of Afghanistan's election commission wascritical of many of the candidates on the final list, though he did notmention any names.
Azizullah Lodin told reporters Saturday thathe thought many of the candidates should not be running for presidentbecause they lack education or any relevant experience. But he said hehad not power to remove them.
The original list had 44 candidates but two were disqualified and one dropped out.
Mr. Karzai has led Afghanistan since the U.S.-backed invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001. He first won election in 2004.