Karzai Made Mistake Claiming Presidency, Spokesman Says

KABUL, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghanistan ( news - web sites)'s interim leader, Hamid Karzai, made a mistake in claiming the presidency after the opening session of the Loya Jirga tribal assembly, a spokesman said Tuesday.

"The situation was confusing for us," Karzai spokesman Yousuf Nooristani told Reuters. "Karzai thought the audience applause meant they were voting for him. Later he found out it was a mistake."

Former king Mohammad Zahir Shah announced at the opening of the Loya Jirga, a traditional Afghan debating chamber that goes back centuries, that he did not want to restore the monarchy and that he was putting his support behind Karzai.

Asked by Reuters what he thought about the former king's support, Karzai said: "It is finished. The assembly has voted for me."

Nooristani said voting would start Wednesday. "There's a strong possibility that Karzai will win."