Preliminary results from Afghanistan’s presidential elections have been delayed for nearly a month, officials announced yesterday, a lengthy postponement likely to stoke political uncertainty and allegations of fraud.

Afghans went to the polls for a first-round vote on September 28, and initial results were supposed to have been released October 19.

But more than a week after saying the Independent Election Commission would miss that deadline, commission chairwoman Hawa Alam Nuristani said the results now would not be released until November 14.