Afghan president says polls to be held by May

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Saturday presidential elections must be held according to the constitution which states they must take place between 30 and 60 days before May 21, the president's office said.

The president agreed with parliament, provincial and district councils and mayors that the polls should be held according to Article 61 of the constitution, the statement said.

According to the constitution, the president's term ends on May 21 and new polls to elect his successor must be held between 30 and 60 days before that. The president called on the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to set a date accordingly.

The IEC has already set August 20 as the date for the presidential election, saying the polls could not take place in the spring as that would mean they would have to be organized during the harsh Afghan winter when many areas are inaccessible.

The IEC also pointed to a contradiction between the constitution and the electoral law which states the presidential term is five years, meaning that Karzai should stay in power until either October, five years after he won the last election, or December, five years after he took the oath of office.

The United States and the international community backed the IEC decision to hold the elections in August as that would give time to extra U.S. troops due to be deployed against Taliban insurgents in the south to try to secure the polls.

(Editing by Dominic Evans)