Afghan future hangs on fragile vote deal

KABUL, July 16 (agencies): Every single vote cast in Afghanistan's run-off presidential election will be checked for signs of fraud in a painstaking process set to begin this week-and the stakes could not be higher.

Transported to Kabul under armed guard, these 8.1 million pieces of paper hold the key to which of the two men vying to replace President Hamid Karzai will lead Afghanistan into a new era as US-led troops withdraw.

The operation is set to get under way on Thursday after a historic deal last weekend between presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah-whose rival victory claims, amid allegations of massive fraud, pushed the nation to the brink of disaster.

"There was a fear that this was getting out of control," said James Cunningham, the US ambassador to Kabul.

Ghani was last week announced the winner of the June 14 vote according to preliminary results, with 56.4 percent against Abdullah's 43.5 percent.

But Abdullah, accusing Ghani of massive ballot-stuffing, swiftly claimed he was the real victor-plunging Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power into crisis.

Rumours swirled that Abdullah's supporters were planning to march on the presidential palace in Kabul, with some in his camp raising the prospect of forming a "parallel government".