Hamid Karzai won a new term yesterday after Afghanistan's election commission cancelled the Nov. 7 run-off and declared him the winner. The action came a day after the withdrawal from the election of Abdullah Abdullah, who was scheduled to be the president's opponent in the next round.

Mr. Karzai will now govern Afghanistan for the next five years with a flawed mandate, given the widespread fraud that characterized the first round of elections in August, in which Mr. Abdullah finished second. The challenger pulled out of the run-off, saying the balloting would have been unfair and accusing the election commission of bias. Even if he were to agree to serve in the next Karzai government, the stain would not be removed from the incumbent's alleged victory.

What it means for the United States is that, whatever decision President Barack Obama makes after his deliberations over the request of Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal for more U.S. troops on top of the 68,000 already authorized, American forces will be there in support of a tainted government. The general is reportedly asking for as many as 85,000 additional U.S. forces.

The Karzai government is corrupt, especially responsive to Afghanistan's minority Pashtun tribe, tangled up with and dependent on the country's opium production and disliked by the government of neighboring Pakistan, where Mr. Karzai's primary opposition, the Taliban, and al-Qaida draw much support.

Even if this Saturday's run-off had taken place in conditions of pristine democracy, it would have been hard to argue that the United States should leave its 68,000 troops in place, let alone send more to Afghanistan.

The collapse of the election because Mr. Karzai's opponent saw no point to it adds another strong argument for the United States to wind down its presence and leave the Afghans to work out their own destiny with no further U.S. lives or money at stake.

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