Afghan President Hamid Karzai is calling for presidential elections to be held four months earlier than an election date set by the country's Independent Election Commission.
President Karzai issued a decree Saturday noting the constitution requires the vote to be held 30 to 60 days before his five-year term expires on May 21.
The Independent Election Commission announced last month that it rescheduled the election for August 20 to give incoming U.S. forces time to stabilize the country. The commission also said it needed time to work out logistical issues and wanted to avoid holding the vote during Afghanistan's harsh winter weather.
Opposition leaders have insisted that President Karzai step down when his term expires in May and install a caretaker government.
U.S. support for the embattled president came into question after the Obama administration openly accused Mr. Karzai of failing to crack down on government corruption.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.