International players spring into action to end Afghan election impasse
Concerned over increasing political tension in Afghanistan, several key international players have become actively involved in bringing an end to the impasse which emerged in the wake of the June 14 presidential run-off elections.
The announcement of the preliminary results scheduled for July 2 got postponed to Monday by the country’s election authorities because presidential candidate Dr Abdullah Abdullah refused to accept the results.
As concerns about political uncertainty increased, senior officials and lawmakers of the United States (US), United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) began hectic efforts to work out a solution.
In the latest development, senior US Senator John McCain met the two presidential candidates Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani in Kabul on Thursday in an apparent move to encourage the two rivals to amicably resolve their differences.
Abdullah’s spokesperson Fazalur Rehmam Orya described the meeting with the US senator as a successful one. “The talks were very effective as both sides agreed that measures should be taken against fraudulent votes,” Orya told Radio Azadi.
Ghani’s team also viewed the meeting with a “strategic partner as highly significant.”
A senior member of Ghani’s team, Abbas Nuyan told Radio Azadi that the meeting was important but Afghans should settle their own problems without any foreign intervention.
Afghan analysts believe McCain suggested a coalition government to the two candidates and that the idea could work.
Writer Nazar Mutmaeen said, following the meeting with McCain, Abdullah’s supporters have removed protest camps in Kabul city, raising speculations for a possible deal.
“I think Abdullah had been exerting pressure on Ghani for sharing power and that is possible through mediation. Some foreign players and Afghans have already started mediation,” Mutmaeen told The Express Tribune from Kabul on Friday.
The US seems very concerned over the current political chaos in Afghanistan as it is anxiously waiting for the new Afghan leader to sign the controversial security pact which will allow some American troops to stay behind beyond this year.
A day prior to Senator McCain’s meetings with Ghani and Abdullah, representatives of the EU also met President Hamid Karzai, election officials and the presidential candidates to find a solution to the election deadlock.
The EU team also welcomed the Independent Election Commission’s (IEC) decision to delay the announcement of the preliminary results, Tolo TV reported.
The UN mission in Kabul says Abdullah and Ghani along with their running mates for the vice-presidency, and several leading members of their teams, have separately met ambassadors and senior representatives of the international community in Kabul.
The foreign mediation has resulted in an understanding that the teams of Abdullah and Ghani will hold direct negotiations to resolve their disputes.
A section of the Afghan media also welcomed the UN’s role in the crisis.
“If the United Nations can support the votes of the people of Afghanistan and the process of making the election transparent and thus disrupt the IEC’s plan to engineer the election, it will assure the people of Afghanistan that democracy has been institutionalised in this country and that people’s votes alone will determine the future of the country,” stated a recent editorial of the Mandegar Daily.
However, tensions still persist as Abdullah’s campaign’s chief spokesman Nasrullah Baryali Arsalai on Thursday warned his team would reject any results announced before all their concerns are addressed.
Claiming “industrial-scale fraud” in the run-off elections, Abdullah had earlier announced the suspension of his campaign’s involvement in the Afghan-managed elections and called for a halt to the process. He had raised the possibility of a commission to settle all poll-related disputes under the supervision of the UN.
Abdullah’s rival Ghani disagreed with the proposal of UN mediation and insisted Afghans should sit with each other.
Abdullah’s refusal to accept the results has caused some supporters to call for civil disobedience. This prompted appeals from the UN mission in Kabul to the candidates to take all steps necessary to control their supporters to prevent them from making any irresponsible statements and from taking steps that could lead to civil disorder and instability.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2014.
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