UN special representative in Afghanistan Kai Eide, centre, has asked the UN to start seeking his replacement. (Altaf Qadri/Associated Press)

The top United Nations official in Afghanistan has asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to start looking for his replacement.

A UN spokesman said Friday said Norwegian diplomat Kai Eide never intended to stay longer than his two-year term as head of the UN mission in Afghanistan. Eide's mission is scheduled to wrap up in March.

"Kai Eide is sticking to the timetable that he outlined when he took the job in March 2008," said Dan McNorton in Kabul.

McNorton said Eide has asked Ban to start looking for a replacement.

Eide's term as the UN's special representative in the country was marred by widespread fraud in August's presidential election, despite the presence and assistance of UN observers.

Eide has been criticized for praising the election before the full extent of the fraud became known, calling it "an important achievement" for the people of Afghanistan.

Dispute led to deputy's dismissal

He had a much-publicized dispute with his top deputy, American diplomat Peter Galbraith, over how to deal with the fraud in the election, a dispute that led Ban to fire Galbraith and replace him in the post.

Galbraith had pushed to close polling stations in regions where observers could not be present and had wanted the UN to take a more active role in determining the validity of the results. Eide argued final responsibility for determining whether the results were valid rested with the Independent Election Commission and the Election Complaints Commission.

Eide told the Norwegian news agency NTB that the disagreement between him and Galbraith was not connected to his decision to step down.

"The election controversy was between Peter Galbraith and the rest of the international community," he said.

On Wednesday Eide had urged Afghanistan's key international partners to work together to support the nation's development efforts.

"There is no other choice. We all have to change our mindset and be more geared towards a co-ordinated approach," said Eide.

He praised the U.S. announcement to deploy 30,000 more American troops and efforts to strengthen the country's national institutions. But he said momentum remained "fragile" and that more work needed to be done both internationally and within the government of President Hamid Karzai.

With files from The Associated Press