**The Afghan president has agreed to let two foreigners join a panel monitoring upcoming parliamentary elections, reversing an earlier decision.**Last month Mr Karzai signed a decree letting him appoint all five members of the Electoral Complaints Commission.
But he came under fire for what some saw as a bid to control a body which stripped nearly a third of his votes in last year’s fraud-tainted election.
Mr Karzai was declared the eventual victor after his opponent dropped out.
On Saturday, a spokesman said Mr Karzai would now accept some foreigners on the body, because the nation was on a “transitional phase” to democracy.
“The Afghan government has shown its readiness to accept two non-Afghans on the Electoral Complaints Commission and this has been announced to the United Nations,” Waheed Omar said.
The watchdog helped expose massive fraud in last year’s presidential poll, forcing Mr Karzai into a second vote.
But days before the vote in early November, it was scrapped, with officials citing a need to avert further political damage to Afghanistan and a rerun of the Taliban violence that marred the first round.
Mr Karzai’s only rival, Abdullah Abdullah, had earlier pulled out of the run-off, saying that it would not be free or fair.
Correspondents say the commission - which previously had three foreign experts appointed by the United Nations - will play a vital role in this year’s parliamentary poll.