国际英语新闻：Obama says Afghanistan presidential poll successful

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that the Afghan presidential election appeared to have been a success and that the United States will continue to monitor the situation in Afghanistan.

"We had what appears to be a successful election in Afghanistan, despite the Taliban's efforts to disrupt it," the president told Michael Smerconish, who is hosting a talk show for a CBS Radio station located in Philadelphia.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai holds up his inked stained finger after voting in the presidential election in Kabul August 20, 2009.

"We have to focus on finishing the job in Afghanistan but it is going to take some time," said the president.

Despite Taliban attacks in 15 provinces, millions of Afghans on Thursday went to 7,000 polling stations across the country to choose their president, who is elected for a five-year tenure and could serve a maximum of two terms.

Among the 41 candidates, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Financial Minister Ashraf Ghani are main rivals of President Karzai, who won the 2004 presidential election with 55 percent of the vote.

Voters wait in line for casting their ballots outside a polling station in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2009. Afghan authorities extended the polling time by one hour in order to let all the voters finish their polling on Thursday. The people of Afghanistan begun voting Thursday morning amid tight security to elect the country' s president and 420 members of the provincial councils

President Hamid Karzai hailed the election a success, praising the Afghan people for braving Taliban "bombs and intimidations." His government said at least 26 people have been killed in the attacks.

Early on Thursday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs praised the Afghanistan people for defying threats of violence and terror to express their thoughts about the next government, stressing that the United States will continue the policy to "disrupt and ultimately defeat al-Qaida and its terrorist allies."

The vote counting could take about three weeks and the final result is expected to be announced on Sept. 17. Candidate who can fix the victory must get more than 50 percent of the vote.

A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in Kabul, capital of Afghanistan, Aug. 20, 2009.