A special court in Afghanistan has overturned a quarter of last year's parliamentary election results in a vote fraud investigation, possibly creating a constitutional crisis.

The tribunal threw out results for 62 of the 249 seats in the Afghan parliament on Thursday, with the possibility that more results could be overturned when it reconvenes on Saturday. President Hamid Karzai set up the court after the fraud-marred elections last September in which his rivals made major gains. His opponents said he called for the investigation to further his political aims, rather than to ensure electoral fairness.

International observers consider the recount illegal, as did one Kabul lawmaker whose vote share actually increased in the recount. One Western diplomat suggested the possibility of constitutional turmoil as the court announced it was vacating dozens of results.

Special Court Judge Sidiqullah Haqiq said any candidates who won their seats through electoral fraud “must be prosecuted.” The court said Afghanistan's election commission should disqualify any lawmakers whose elections were determined by the court to be illegal, but the commission does not recognize the court's legitimacy.

Armed soldiers stood behind the court's judges as new results were announced, with the newly declared winners and their supporters cheering and applauding.

In one district, the court said a candidate previously recorded as not getting any votes actually collected about 20,000. In another district, an earlier winner was stripped of 5,000 votes while a losing candidate totaled an additional 12,000, reversing the result.