The U.N.-backed commission investigating reports of fraud in Afghanistan's controversial presidential election is expected to release its highly-anticipated findings Monday.

A spokesman for the independent panel said the report would be released late in the afternoon in Kabul (1230 UTC).
 
Preliminary results indicate President Hamid Karzai leads with 54 percent of the total. But the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) could throw out enough fraudulent ballots so that Mr. Karzai's total dips below 50 percent, most likely forcing a runoff with top challenger Abdullah Abdullah.  

Senior foreign officials visiting Kabul in recent days have urged Mr. Karzai to accept the panel's verdict.

U.S. officials said Sunday President Barack Obama will not decide whether to send more troops to Afghanistan until the election is settled and the Afghan government is ready to work effectively with the United States.

Outside observers for the Afghan election have said as many as one out of every three ballots were suspicious. Most of the fraudulent ballots are believed to benefit Mr. Karzai.  

The election standoff follows months of escalating violence in Afghanistan and a spike in foreign troop deaths.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said Sunday that military and defense advisers will continue discussing the Afghan war strategy with the president this week and next.

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan has warned that the United States could lose the war if more troops are not deployed. General Stanley McChrystal is said to be asking the president for as many as 40,000 additional troops.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.