Abdullah Abdullah, a senior opposition leader, told the Daily Telegraph at the time: "It's absolutely clear that if he has a majority in parliament, a good majority, in the course of time, perhaps a year, he will hold a Loya Jirga and call for his tenure to be extended." The announcement was unlikely to scotch opposition concerns, or fears the 2014 election will see a rerun of the pro-Karzai ballot-stuffing which horrified international observers.