BERLIN, Oct 3: Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed confidence On Sunday that his administration would emerge from a historic presidential election next weekend with increased legitimacy.

Mr Karzai is widely tipped to win the vote on Saturday. Parliamentary elections are due to follow, although no date has yet been set. "Legitimacy will increase tremendously after the elections," Mr Karzai told a press conference after talks with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.

"The government will be much more in power in terms of legitimacy but in terms of provision of services and the capability of the Afghan administration it will take some time for the country to do better."

Mr Karzai said he hoped for logistical reasons that the presidential election could be settled in a single round. "I hope for all the good reasons that the election will not go to the second round because it will be very expensive for us to have a second round and it will be easier for us to have a result in the first round."

Mr Karzai said he saw nothing unusual in the fact that he was in Europe six days before the election rather than campaigning at home. He is due to receive a "Quadriga" prize later Sunday in Berlin, awarded to personalities who have displayed vision, courage and responsibility in their work. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to receive an award at the same ceremony.

"Any president would come to receive an award six days before an election," he said. "It is an honour to receive this award." Karzai admitted he had discussed security for the parliamentary elections with Fischer.

Rabbani: Former Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani said on Sunday his Jamiat-i-Islami will support President Hamid Karzai in elections on Oct 9. "Jamiat supports President Hamid Karzai," Mr Rabbani told hundreds of his supporters and former commanders from the struggle against the 1980s Soviet occupation at a news conference in Kabul.

The announcement was a boost for President Karzai, who has previously mostly failed in a bid to strike agreements with former mujahideen groups. Mr Rabbani was a former anti-Soviet leader who was president from mid-1992 until 1996. Seventeen other candidates are standing for election, but former education minister Yunus Qanooni, 47, is seen as President Karzai's only serious challenger. -AFP