Afghans eagerly await poll results

Country’s election commission says nearly 7m people out of 13m eligible voters cast their vote on Apr 5.


Tahir Khan April 12, 2014
Posters of Afghan presidential candidates cover shop fronts in Mohallah Jangi. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/EXPRESS

ISLAMABAD:


After millions of war-weary but spirited Afghans thronged thousands of polling centres across the country to cast their ballot in the country’s third presidential elections, they now anxiously await the announcement of results.


The country’s election commission says nearly seven million people out of 13 million eligible voters, including 35% women, cast their vote on April 5 despite serious security challenges. The total population of Afghanistan is estimated to be 30 million.

Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission now faces a gigantic task to complete one of the world’s most difficult counting processes amid serious fraud allegations. The country’s Independent Electoral Complaints Commission says it has received about 3,000 complaints about poll fraud and a probe is under way.

Officials have set April 24 as the date to announce preliminary results while the final results will be made public on May 14 after the formal settlement of all complaints. Two presidential hopefuls — Dr Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah — claim to be leading the race from the votes counted so far. Zalmai Rasoul, who was earlier thought to be among the front-runners, is seen far behind in the vote count.

The flurry of predictions on social media and a section of the Afghan media are further causing confusion among people which led electoral authorities to criticise the media for speculating unnecessarily.

Although Ghani and Abdullah are confident of their victory in the first round, political observers foresee a run-off polls as the victorious candidate is required to secure 50%, plus one vote.

In light of this prediction, some circles in and outside the country want to avoid run-off polling owing to the fragile security environment of the country.

The US Deputy Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Ambassador Beth Jones, was the first foreign official to land in Kabul two days after the elections for talks on the post-election scenario. Jones met Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Irshad Ahmadi and the foreign ministry said this week that both discussed the Afghan elections, transfer of power to the new leader and the yet-to-be-signed bilateral security arrangement, among other issues.

Officials in the Afghan government told The Express Tribune in Kabul that the US and its allies do not favour a second round and will work with the incumbent ruler for a possible rapprochement between the top two candidates for a coalition. Dr Ghani and Abdullah have so far refused to agree on a coalition and vowed for a runoff poll.

A senior Afghan official and close confidant of President Hamid Karzai told The Express Tribune that the outgoing president also wants a coalition, as a runoff will be an enormous task for the government.

Pakistan expects good ties with new govt

Pakistan will work with the new government in Afghanistan and further strengthen bilateral relations, said the newly-appointed Pakistani ambassador in Kabul, Abrar Hussain, in an interview at the Pakistani embassy.

Hussain, who assumed the office last month, said Pakistan respects the decision of the Afghan people and is happy at the continuation of the democratic process, adding the government and Afghans deserve to be congratulated.

When asked if Pakistan had a soft corner for any candidate, he said there was no favourite and whoever is elected will be acceptable to the country as only Afghans have the right to choose their leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 12th, 2014.

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