KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The elder brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday he dropped out of the country’s April 5 presidential election to leave the field open to a candidate that he hoped would steer the nation through a “dignified” transition.

As he mused over giving up his bid to succeed his brother, businessman Qayyum Karzai said in an interview with The Associated Press that he places his hopes for the future of battered nation in what he believes is the moderate majority among the population. In the race, he is now throwing his support behind former Afghan Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul.

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