Afghans to vote in run-off election as US troops exit

KABUL: Afghans head to the polls Saturday for a second-round election to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai, with the threat of Taliban attacks and fraud looming over the country´s first democratic transfer of power.

The vote pits former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani in a head-to-head contest to lead Afghanistan as US-led troops withdraw after 13 years of fighting Taliban insurgents.

April´s first-round vote was hailed a success as turnout topped 50 percent and Islamist militants failed to launch any high-profile attacks on polling day.

But Saturday presents another major challenge in the prolonged election process, which began with campaigning in early February and will end when the final result is announced on July 22."There is concern that the enemy who failed in the first round will seek revenge, but we can assure you they will fail again," General Afzal Aman, head of Afghan army operations, told reporters.

"We have been conducting missions all over Afghanistan for election security for the past two months."

Ahead of the vote, the Taliban issued a warning to voters, saying that polling booths would be targeted by "non-stop" assaults.

"By holding elections, the Americans want to impose their stooges on the people," the insurgents, who were ousted from power by a US-led offensive in 2001, said on their website.

International fears have focused on the risk of tension between the candidates´ supporters after the result, which may be contested if the count is close and serious fraud allegations are raised.

"No one should be complacent about what is at stake in the coming weeks," US ambassador James Cunningham said in a statement. "We call on both candidates to direct their campaigns and supporters not to engage in fraud."It is our fervent hope that the two candidates, with the future of their country in their hands at this unprecedented time, will not seek a winner-take-all outcome.

"The last presidential vote in 2009 was riddled with fraud, damaging relations between the Afghan government and the US-led donor nations on which it relies for funding.

Abdullah eventually pulled out of that election, allowing Karzai to retain power, but this year neither candidate is likely to back down if the result is close.

Afghans vote in landmark poll, undeterred by threats

KABUL: The voting phase of the landmark Afghan presidential election has concluded. Voting was largely peaceful on Saturday, with only isolated attacks on polling stations as a country racked by decades of chaos embarked on its first ever democratic transfer of power.

A roadside bomb killed two policemen and wounded two others in the southern city of Qalat as they were returning from a polling station, while four voters were wounded in an explosion at a voting centre in the southeastern province of Logar.

There were no reports of more serious attacks so far on an election that Taliban insurgents had vowed to derail, branding it a U.S.-backed sham.

The United States, having spent $90 billion on aid and training for Afghan security forces since it helped vanquish the Taliban in 2001, could point to its success promoting democracy as a major achievement toward leaving Afghanistan as a more stable country.

The stronger the next president's mandate, the less vulnerable Afghanistan could be to instability. Even if the election is less flawed this time, it could take months - perhaps even until October - for a winner to be declared at a time when the country desperately needs a leader to stem rising violence as foreign troops prepare to leave.

Nearly 3,500 members of the US-led coalition force have been killed in Afghanistan since deployment over a decade ago.

KABUL SEALED OFF

About 12 million were eligible to vote in the election, and there were eight candidates, with former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmay Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani the favourites.

Karzai is barred by the constitution from running for the presidency again. But, after 12 years in power, he is widely expected to retain influence through politicians loyal to him.

The Taliban warned civilians ahead of the election they would be targeted if they try to vote, and dozens died in a spate of attacks in the preceding weeks.

A veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and a senior correspondent of the same news agency was wounded on Friday when a policeman opened fire on the two women in eastern Afghanistan as they reported on preparations for the poll.

More than 350,000 Afghan troops were deployed, guarding against attacks on polling stations and voters. The capital, Kabul, was sealed off by rings of roadblocks and checkpoints.

In the city of Kandahar, cradle of the Taliban insurgency, the mood was tense. Vehicles were not allowed to move on the roads and checkpoints were set up at every intersection.

Hamida, a 20-year-old teacher working at a Kandahar polling station, said more than a dozen women turned up in the first two hours of voting and added that she expected more to come despite the threat of an attack by the Taliban.

"We are trying not to think about it," she said, only her honey-brown eyes visible through her black niqab.

Raising questions about the legitimacy of the vote even before it began, the election commission announced that at least 10 percent of polling stations were expected to be shut due to security threats, and most foreign observers left Afghanistan in the wake of a deadly attack on a hotel in Kabul last month.

The interior ministry said six officials - including an intelligence agent - were detained on Saturday for trying to rig the vote, and elsewhere several people were arrested for trying to use fake voter cards.

RISK OF DELAY

One of the chief risks is the length of time it may take to declare a new president. If none of the candidates wins over 50 percent of the vote, the two frontrunners would go into a run-off on May 28, spinning out the process into the holy month of Ramadan when life slows to a crawl.

A long delay would leave little time to complete a pact between Kabul and Washington to keep up to 10,000 US troops in the country beyond 2014, after the bulk of the American force, which currently stands at around 23,500, has pulled out.

Karzai has rejected the pact, but the three frontrunners have pledged to sign it. Without the pact, far weaker Afghan forces would be left on their own to fight the Taliban.

Uncertainty over the outcome could also stall crucial foreign aid and economic reform, foment ethnic tensions and leave a political vacuum in which the Taliban could gain ground.

The election is a landmark after 13 years of struggle to quell an insurgency that has killed at least 16,000 Afghan civilians and thousands more soldiers.

Karzai's relations with the United States became increasingly strained in recent years as Afghan casualties mounted, and he voiced frustrated that Washington was not putting enough pressure on Pakistan to stop the Taliban, who base themselves in borderlands.

Although Karzai's departure is a turning point for Afghanistan, none of his would-be successors would bring radical change, Western diplomats say.

"The only positive thing in this election is that it is necessary to save the state as it is, and therefore there is a need to transfer power one way or the other," Sarah Chayes, a South Asia expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace told a media briefing on the eve of the vote.

"Whether the election will be the great transformative event that everybody expects is, I think, delusional."

Polling stations officially closed at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT), officials said, after a day without major security incidents.

But voting was set to continue for some time as voters in line at polling stations would be allowed to cast their ballot, a senior official with the Independent Election Commission said.

US, UN, Nato all praise for Afghans courage in landmark vote

KABUL: The United States and the UN have praised the "courage" of Afghan people who turned out in force for presidential elections, despite Taliban threats against the vote which passed off largely peacefully.

Afghan voters formed long lines outside polling stations on Saturday to pick a successor to President Hamid Karzai, with a final turnout expected to exceed 50 percent -- outstripping expectations.

US President Barack Obama congratulated the nation on the ballot -- its first democratic transfer of power -- and said it was "critical" to its future and securing continued international aid.

"Millions of Afghan men and women took to the polls today with courage and commitment," US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. "This is their moment. The Afghan people secured this election. They ran this election, and most importantly, they voted in this election. "There were no major militant attacks during polling, and organisers described the ballot as a huge success, despite complaints that a shortage of ballot papers had denied some citizens the right to vote.

However, with results not due until April 24 the country faces a testing period, and many Afghans fear a repeat of the fraud scandals that marred the last presidential election in 2009. If no candidate wins more than 50 percent in the first round, a run-off is scheduled for late May.

There is no clear favourite among the front-runners to succeed Karzai -- former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, Abdullah Abdullah, who was runner-up in the 2009 election, and former World Bank academic Ashraf Ghani.

Whoever emerges victorious must lead the fight against the Taliban without the help of US-led combat troops, and also strengthen an economy that currently relies on declining aid money.

"Today´s election and massive participation of the people have taken Afghanistan a few steps forward to peace, stability and development," Karzai said in an address to the nation Saturday. "This was a major effort of the people, our security forces, and all the officials who had a role in holding the election.

"The United Nations Security Council also commended "the participation and courage of the Afghan people to cast their ballot despite the threat and intimidation by the Taliban" and other terrorist groups. It condemned the deadly attacks which overshadowed the election campaign and urged all those involved to show patience and respect during the count.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised the "enthusiasm" of voters and the "outstanding job" by Afghan security forces. "This has truly been an election led by Afghans, secured by Afghans, for the future of Afghans," he said.

The final turnout could exceed seven million, the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani, said, though this was a preliminary estimate and may change. Initial predictions in 2009 proved inaccurate. Around 13.5 million people were eligible to vote, putting the estimated turnout above 50 percent -- a significant increase on 2009, when only around a third of voters cast ballots.

The open nature of the race with so many candidates in the running, coupled with a massive security operation to thwart Taliban attacks, may have contributed to the high turnout.

The Taliban had urged their fighters to target polling staff, voters and security forces, but there were no major attacks reported during the day.

Interior Minister Omar Daudzai said late Saturday that four civilians, nine police and seven soldiers had been killed in violence in the past 24 hours, but added that many attacks had been foiled, without giving further details.

Attacks or fear of Taliban intimidation had forced more than 200 of a total 6,423 voting centres to remain closed. The day before the poll, Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus was shot dead by a police commander in eastern Khost province. She was the third journalist working for international media to be killed during the election campaign, after Swedish journalist Nils Horner and Sardar Ahmad of Agence France-Presse.

Afghans have taken over responsibility for security from US-led forces, and this year the last of the NATO coalition´s 51,000 combat troops will pull out, leaving local forces to battle the resilient Taliban insurgency without their help.

The country´s third presidential election will bring an end to 13 years of rule by Karzai, who has held power since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. Massive fraud and widespread violence marred Karzai´s re-election in 2009, and a disputed result this time would add to the challenges facing the new president.T

The election may offer a chance for Afghanistan to improve relations with the United States, its principal donor, after the mercurial Karzai years. Relations fell to a new low late last year when Karzai refused to sign a security agreement that would allow the US to keep around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan to train local forces and hunt Al-Qaeda.

 

Afghans see hope in chance to choose new leader

KABUL: Two Afghan women shrouded in black emerged from a campaign rally carrying bundles of sticks with pieces of torn posters still attached. The women weren't intending to knit back together what pictures remained of the presidential hopeful. They simply needed firewood to heat their home.

Afghanistan's enduring poverty - and corruption - is making it easier for the Taliban to make inroads nearly 13 years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted them from power.

The militants have vowed to disrupt Saturday's nationwide elections with violence, and recent high-profile attacks in the heart of Kabul are clearly designed to show they are perfectly capable of doing just that.

On Friday, a veteran Associated Press photographer was killed and an AP reporter was wounded when an Afghan policeman opened fire while the two were sitting in their car in the city of Khost, in eastern Afghanistan. The two were at a security forces base, waiting to move in a convoy of election workers delivering ballots.

If voters turn out in large numbers and the Afghans are able to hold a successful election, that could undermine the Taliban's appeal by showing democracy can indeed work.

With President Hamid Karzai constitutionally barred from a third term, Afghans will choose a new president in what promises to be the nation's first democratic transfer of power. As international combat forces prepare to withdraw by the end of this year, the country is so unstable that the very fact the crucial elections are being held is touted as one of the few successes in Karzai's tenure.

Nearly 200,000 Afghan security forces planned to fan out on Saturday to protect polling stations and voters. On Friday evening, mobile phone messaging services stopped working in the capital, Kabul, in what appeared to be a security measure by authorities to prevent militants from using messages for attacks.

Three men are considered top contenders in the race - a major shift from past elections dominated by Karzai, who has ruled the country since the Taliban were ousted in 2001. That has presented Afghans with their first presidential vote in which the outcome is uncertain.

There do not appear to be major policy differences toward the West between the front-runners - Abdullah Abdullah, Karzai's top rival in the last election; Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, an academic and former World Bank official; and Zalmai Rassoul, a former foreign minister. All have promised to sign a security agreement with the United States that will allow thousands of foreign troops to remain in the country after 2014 - which Karzai has refused to do. The candidates differ on some issues such as the country's border dispute with Pakistan. But all preach against fraud and corruption and vow to improve security.

The candidates have stumped for votes with near-daily debates and rallies across the Texas-sized country, a far greater level of campaigning than in the past, when certain blocs of voters were largely taken for granted in a patronage system. They also have named running mates including warlords, leaders from rival ethnic groups and in some cases, women. None is expected to get a majority needed to secure a win outright, so a runoff between the top two vote getters is widely expected.

"The election excitement is being felt all over the place," said Aimal Jan Ghafoori, who worked at a voter registration center in the southern city of Kandahar. "It's really good to see this change. I hope this change helps in changing the fate of our country soon enough."

He said barely three dozen people showed up to register each day in 2009, when massive vote-rigging marred Karzai's re-election, while as many as 300 lined up daily to beat Tuesday's deadline to register for this year's elections for president and provincial councils.

But the attacks in Kabul over the past few weeks are threatening to scare voters away from the polls as Afghans worry security forces unable to guard areas previously considered safe won't be able to protect them on election day.

In Friday's attack in Khost, a unit commander named Naqibullah walked up to the car with the AP photographer and reporter, yelled "Allahu Akbar" - God is Great - and opened fire on them in the back seat with his AK-47.

Anja Niedringhaus, 48, an internationally acclaimed German photographer, was killed instantly, while Kathy Gannon, an AP correspondent who for many years was the news organization's Afghanistan bureau chief and currently is a special correspondent for the region, was shot twice and later underwent surgery. She was reported as being in stable condition.

Security forces have been on high alert since a suicide bomber struck the entrance of the heavily fortified Interior Ministry in Kabul on Wednesday, killing six policemen. Police are searching cars and checking ID cards at checkpoints. Streets in the capital are unusually empty of traffic as many people stay home for fear of more bloodshed.

"I have no interest in going to vote on election day," said bank employee Jawad Furmoli. "People are very sad and it will be a dangerous day."

"If the situation continues like this, I don't think anyone will go to the polling stations," said Wafaq Arya, who was near the Interior Ministry when it was attacked on Wednesday. "It will badly affect the elections."

The three front-runners all have expressed concern about fraud in the balloting, particularly government interference.

International officials say a level of fraud is to be expected but note that Afghan electoral officials have learned from the past and implemented strict protocols to minimize it. That includes bar codes on the ballot boxes being delivered to nearly 6,500 polling centers in all 34 provinces and plans to tally the results immediately after the vote closes and post a copy of the results at each center.

Graeme Smith, an analyst with the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, said all signs pointed to a heavy turnout despite fears of violence, in part because voters actually feel like they have a choice.

"The indications are that people are going to vote, at the very least tribes and local strongmen are going to be able to muster votes," he said. "The fact that it's a horse race might bring out the vote."

Afghans interviewed at various campaign rallies and elsewhere are largely united about one thing: They are disappointed at the lack of progress after more than 12 years of war. The new president will face high expectations to alleviate poverty and clean up the government in a country that Transparency International last year ranked among the three most corrupt in the world alongside Somalia and North Korea.

Many Afghans also are worried about the impending withdrawal of international combat forces that is putting billions of dollars in international reconstruction aid at risk.

The U.S. and its allies, meanwhile, are hoping for a chance to reset relations that have been badly damaged following several disputes with Karzai, including his refusal to sign the security pact.

International forces are taking a backseat in the elections, although they have provided air support to help the Independent Election Commission deliver at least 400 tons of ballots and other election materials to remote provinces. Donkey caravans often take it from there, hauling boxes along treacherous mountain paths.

Brig. Gen. Daniel O'Donohue, the chief operations officer for NATO-led forces, expressed confidence that the Afghan security forces were prepared to secure voters. He acknowledged the Taliban remain able to stage brazen assaults that draw headlines but insisted the militants will be unable to derail the voting.

"All they can do is try and act as a spoiler," he said this week during an interview on the vast military base on the edge of Kabul. "Our estimate of it is they have the capability to do these high-profile attacks but they don't have the ability, you know, to contest the Afghan security forces or to affect the essential security that they are providing for the election."