Washington  - Said Tayeb Jawad, Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States, said President Hamid Karzai was "likely" to face a runoff election after the country's August 20 election tally was changed following a fraud investigation.

The Washington Post reported Friday on its website that Jawad made the comments late Thursday during an event at the US Institute of Peace in Washington.

The newspaper also cited unnamed officials familiar with the results of the UN-supported Electoral Complaints Commission as saying that the vote for Karzai would be reduced to 47 per cent, which would require a second round of voting if certified by the Independent Election Commission in Afghanistan.

The new tally was expected to be completed Friday.

In the runoff, Karzai would face his closest challenger, Abdullah Abdullah, who once served in Karzai's administration as foreign minister. (dpa)