Voter fraud allegations prompt call for transparent elections.
Afghan presidential hopefuls Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai have formally launched their campaigns for the second round of polls. Neither of the candidates achieved the 50% plus one vote needed to win the elections held on April 5.
Afghanistan will witness the run-off on June 14. Some officials say the run-off might face serious security challenges with the Taliban launching their ‘spring offensive’ just weeks ahead of the presidential election.
Last week, former vice president in the first elected administration of Hamid Karzai, Ahmad Zia Massoud, announced his support for Dr Ghani.
Massoud, an ethnic Tajik and the younger brother of Ahmad Shah Massoud, had been the running mate of Zalmai Rassoul, who secured around 11% of the April 5 vote. Rassoul himself has already joined Dr Abdullah’s camp. Former president Sibghatullah Mojaddedi and a former presidential candidate Hedayat Amin Arsala have also backed Ghani, bolstering his position.
On Thursday, former Afghan intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh announced his support for Dr Abdullah for the second round. Saleh, now leading a group called “Afghanistan Green Trend”, claims he enjoys the support of thousands of educated people in the country.
As candidates have started their campaign, security emerges as the biggest challenge for next month’s elections.
Just hours after the two candidates opened their election campaign in Kabul, gunmen attacked the Indian consulate in the western city of Herat on Friday.
The attack on the Indian consulate comes a few days after Afghan officials confirmed the fall of Yamgan district in northern Badakhshan province.
Afghan Interior Minister Umer Daudzai has also confirmed the district’s fall and says more troops have been dispatched to the region to retake the area from the Taliban.
Afghan officials have confirmed the heightened security challenges but claim Afghan forces are well-prepared to rebuff the Taliban and foil terror attacks during the second round.
“More foreign fighters have come to Afghanistan this year to disrupt the elections but they will fail,” Daudzai told reporters in Kabul on Thursday.
Pakistan’s role is seen as crucial for a peaceful election and army chief General Raheel Sharif, who visited Kabul this week for a tripartite meeting of top military commanders, assured help for democratic process. Pakistan had sealed its borders with Afghanistan for the April 5 elections which had reportedly helped keep the polls trouble-free.
Voter fraud allegations to haunt second round
After 3,000 complaints of irregularities were reported during the April 5 elections, concerns are increasing about possible fraud in next month’s polls. As Ghani and Abdullah enter a face-off, it is feared their supporters could resort to rigging. The country’s two bodies, responsible for organising elections – Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) – had admitted there was fraud at April 5 polls through police and its own staffers.
Officials of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) had suspended over 3,000 of its employees for their alleged involvement in fraud and the violation of electoral rules. The IEC says it is now hiring new staff.
Besides vote fraud concerns, calls for transparent elections are also being heard from world leaders and forums, as fair elections are seen as critical for the war-torn country’s future.
The United Nations has also called for complete transparency in next month’s presidential run-off.
Head of IEC’s Secretariat, Ziaul Haq Amarkhil, says about 25,000 observer cards have been printed for each candidate in the second round that will enable their representatives to monitor the process with national and international observers.
He also said 4,000 additional polling stations will be opened, along with more than 20,000 polling stations that were opened for the first round, in order to ensure that everyone can exercise their right to vote.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 24th, 2014.
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