Kai Eide will not stay on past his two-year term
Norwegian diplomat and head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, has told Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that he will resign when his term is finished in March. Eide was widely criticized for his inability to prevent widespread fraud in Afghanistan’s recent elections, and for prematurely praising them “as an important achievement.” He also created controversy when he fired his deputy, Peter Galbraith, who was lobbying to make the U.N. more engaged in monitoring the election and recommended shutting down polling stations that couldn’t be reached by international observers. A spokesperson for the U.N. implied that the controversy of Eide’s tenure had no bearing on his decision, and that he was always planning to resign when his term ended.