Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew today offered his best wishes to the newly elected President of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, on the outcome of Afghanistan's first-ever direct presidential election.

"On behalf of all Canadians, I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to President Karzai, the Afghanistan Transitional Authority and all of the Afghan people on the result of this historic vote," said Minister Pettigrew. "With participation by an impressive 70 percent of over 10 million registered voters, Afghans have demonstrated their determination to turn away from over 20 years of civil war and participate directly in the building of a democratic Afghanistan."

President Karzai won with 55.4 percent of the popular vote. Over 70 percent of registered voters participated in the presidential election; 41 percent of the voters were women.

The election was declared valid by a three-person panel of the joint Afghan-United Nations Electoral Management Body. The panel consisted of one member from Canada, one from Sweden and one from the U.K.

Canadians have contributed to this process from the outset and will continue to work with the government and the people of Afghanistan to build a democratic, stable and peaceful country. The next step in Afghanistan's democratic transition will be parliamentary elections, scheduled to take place in the spring of 2005.

The Government of Canada has contributed close to $24 million to the democratic process in Afghanistan. Canada also funded the participation of two Canadians in the Election Support Team of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In addition, approximately 700 Canadian troops are currently in Kabul as part of the International Security Assistance Force, ensuring security in the capital city.