On Thursday, Afghanis will — hopefully — head to the polls to vote for a new leader, in what US President Barack Obama has called “the most important event of the year in Afghanistan”.
But casting a ballot in the war-torn country is a lot more difficult than simply strolling down to the local primary school and deciding between the sausage sizzle and lamington drive before stuffing some paper in a box. The Taliban are openly threatening to attack polling booths, and there are already concerns over the competency of the Afghan Independent Election Commission — who will be running things without help from the UN for the first time this year — in registering and counting votes.
The election is more than just a test for Afghanistan, of course — its efficacy will be viewed by many outsiders as a measure of the United States’ (and, to a lesser extent, its allies’) success in securing and democratising the country. We take a look at what the world is saying.
Millions of Afghan women will be denied vote. Millions of Afghan women will be denied their chance to vote in presidential elections this week because there aren’t enough female officials to staff the women-only polling stations… Without female staff to operate the strictly segregated stations, and more importantly, without female searchers to frisk women voters as they arrive at those stations, conservative men across the country will ban their wives and daughters from taking part. — Huffington Post
How accurate is pre-election polling in Afghanistan? Recent polls suggest that Hamid Karzai will garner the most votes but fall short of a majority, necessitating a runoff election. How accurate are polls in Afghanistan? They’re better than they were before the country’s 2004 election but not nearly as good as Western polls. — Slate
Five things to watch around Afghan elections. I’m here in the country as part of one of the international delegations to observe the elections … We’re getting a steady stream of reports from the observers posted around the country. Although it’s early to draw any definitive conclusions, here are five things to watch for in Afghanistan in the coming weeks. — Brian Katulis, Foreign Policy
What the Afghan elections say about us. Pundits around the world will be carefully scrutinizing the Afghan elections for what they say about the situation in Afghanistan. They should be paying more attention to what the elections reveal about the international community — in other words, what they reveal about us. — Jeremy Shapiro, The Brookings Institution
Surprise! Karzai trucks in warlords to win elections. Let’s skip around the manufactured outrage over the news that Hamid Karzai is bringing back Abdul Rashid Dostum, the warlord responsible for 2001’s mass killing of Taliban prisoners, so Dostum’s clout among Afghanistan’s Uzbek minority can secure Karzai’s re-election. The only thing surprising is that anyone is surprised. — Spencer Ackerman, The Washington Independent
Too much democracy, too soon? I’m beginning to hope that Hamid Karzai pulls a Ahmadi-Khamenei and steals the thing. Yes, he is corrupt and incompetent. Yes, democracy is a wonderful thing. But too much democracy, too soon, in a country that is barely governed — see under Palestine, 2005 — can be a toxic disaster. — Joe Klein, TIME
For more news and views on the election, keep an eye on Crikey’s Afghanistan Election page.
It is absolutely ridiculous to even pretend that this farce is an ‘election’ let alone a display of democracy – fledgling or otherwise. What other so-called ‘war’ has had elections during occupation? Did the Germans allow the French to have elections during the time of their occupation? Vietnam? There was never any intention of allowing the people of Afghanistan any autonomy let alone so called elections? Women aren’t going to be able to vote. Karzai is a plant of the US anyway, he always was – he will probably ‘win’ again. It’s worse than a joke!
The Bush Administration intended invading Afghanistan prior to 9/11. They’d warned both Pakistan & India of their intent to start their bombings at the end of October 2001 and they told them weeks before 9/11. The reason? The ongoing discussions with the Taliban that started during the Clinton Administration. There is an alleged $16 Trillion of oil and gas in the Caspian Sea. The US wanted a pipeline through Afghanistan to the West. The Taliban, despite being duchessed by the Clinton Administration, and had at least 3 meetings with the Bush Administration wouldn’t budge – hence the threats. Karzai had links with the oil industry in the US, and at least 35 members of the Bush Administration had similar links. If you read, ‘From Afghanistan to Iraq-Connecting the dots with Oil’ the involved description of the events is revealed. What is of equal interest are the links between the players and the oil industsry. There’s been no denial by many in the Oil Industry and successive US Administrations, that there’s a strong link between foreign policy and energy policy.
The known reserves of oil are only going to last for about 40 years. The US don’t want to depend on Iran of course, as a means of transporting the oil, they’d rather have their military bases dotted around Iraq and Afghanistan, and sew up the removals to suit multinational US companies like Shell, Enron etc. The deaths and misery of those in both countries doesn’t mean anything to those whose eyes are on the spoils. This nonsense of trying to restore a normal existence is laughable, but nobody in Afghanistan think it’s funny. The goal is the oil and the gas, and getting it ‘out’. The US will then dictate price and who gets to buy. Sadly, our military is being used just as the US are, and too many others too. If the goal was to restore the country etc, there’d be no horrific overhead bombing, that’s only killing and maiming the desperate and the poor citizens. Why did the US build the biggest embassy ever in Iraq? And where are their semi-permanent bases in Afghanistan also?
Finally, those in the parliament are made up of those who, at various times in Afghani history have been just as cruel, just as ruthless and just as murderous towards women, kids and other vulnerable people, as the Taliban, Al Qaeda are painted. We should be boycotting this so-called farce, which is disenfranchising many, and upholding the horrific abuse and cruelty towards women and girls. Too many women are choosing to burn themselves to death rather than be brutalized by men. Too many women are forced into prostitution, as they’re refused the few jobs available, their husbands have been killed by the invaders(us), and the children are malnourished and psychologically damaged. The lone woman in the Parliament was forced to leave; was assaulted in the Parlt, and requires 24 hour guard from those murderous Taliban, war lords and Northern Alliance war criminals of the past – too many are now in the Parlt? It’s tragic, criminal and appalling! The very fact that there are westerners overseeing these ‘elections’ only reinforces the view, that the oppression of women and girls is OK, if those we want in power get enough votes. It’s a disgrace!
As to the mentioned slaughter of Taliban prisoners by Dostum, there’s strong evidence to show, that the US military oversaw the whole murderous activity. The Pentagon refused to have an open investigation. Watch ‘Afghan Massacre’? It’s on http://www.freedocumentaries.org
Liz45 – “Karzai will PROBABLY “win” again”??? Ya sure??
AR – Depends who the US wants! With all the goodies at ‘arms reach’ and the money they’ve spent on the invasion+, they’re not going to lose it now!!!!It’s all ‘stitched up’?
FAKE ELECTIONS WON’T BRING PEACE TO AFGHANISTAN
By Eric Margolis
Most Afghans already believe they know who will win the vote: the candidate chosen by the United States and its NATO allies.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23297.htm
Afghan Election Fraud is Unearthed
By Ian Pannell
An investigation by the BBC has found evidence of fraud and corruption in Afghanistan’s presidential election. Thousands of voting cards have been offered for sale and thousands of dollars have been offered in bribes to buy votes.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article23296.htm