KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has decided a presidential run-off will not take place after the withdrawal of the only challenger to the incumbent Hamid Karzai, commission sources said Monday.

"It will not go to a run-off," one commission source told AFP ahead of a press conference where the announcement was expected to be confirmed. Another source told AFP on condition of anonymity:

"It has been decided that there will not be a run-off."

Karzai's rival, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, pulled out of the contest on Sunday, citing fears of a repeat of the fraud which marred August's first round.