Afghanistan jumps first
hurdle By Syed Saleem
Shahzad
KABUL - The voters have had their
turn, now the arduous task begins of counting the
votes in Afghanistan's first parliamentary
elections in over three decades to see how the
power cards will fall in the 249-seat National
Assembly (Wolesi Jirga) and 32 provincial
councils.
Some 12.5 million Afghans were
eligible to vote. Early estimations of turnout
range from 50% to 65%, short of last year's 70%
turnout for presidential elections that confirmed
the top position in the country for Hamid Karzai.
Final results are not expected until next month.
"By comparison, voter turnout in the
parliamentary polls is very low compared to the
presidential elections," Ahmed Nadri,
chairperson of the Free and
Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, which
sent 5,000 observers to the polls, told Asia Times
Online.
"Apart from security concerns
there were a few other factors, including certain
violations by the candidates, which disturbed the
overall process of the elections," Nadri said.
US and Afghan security officials said
clashes with Taliban fighters on election day on
Sunday left three militants and two policemen dead
in the eastern Khost province. In a separate
incident, the French Defense Ministry said a
French special forces soldier was killed on the
eve of the election in the south.
In
Kabul, two rockets landed within the compound of
the United Nations' Operations Center in
Afghanistan shortly after polling stations opened.
One rocket exploded and caused a fire at a
warehouse and the other did not go off.
Security at the 6,200 polling centers was
provided by about 30,000 troops, including 20,000
from a US-led force and 10,000 North Atlantic
Treaty Organization-led peacekeepers. More than
1,000 people died in the months leading up to the
election.
Voting started at 6.30 in the
morning in mosques and in schools, but in Kabul
the streets were deserted in mid-morning, even
though Kabulis are generally early starters.
The only large gathering witnessed by this
correspondent was at the residence of former
minister of the interior and powerful commander of
the defunct Northern Alliance, Dr Younus Qanooni,
where dozens of his supporters gathered.
Qanooni, a Tajik, leads the National
Understanding Front. He stood against Karzai in
the October presidential elections and collected
the second largest number of votes.
The
Afghan administration worked hard to motivate
people - for instance, the electricity goes off in
Kabul after dawn and supplies are only restored at
dusk. However, on Sunday, electricity was provided
all day so that people could switch on their TV
sets and be motivated by the national channels
to go out and vote.
"Why should I vote?"
asked Hameedullah, a driver in Kabul. "I know each
and every person contesting these polls. "They
either looted the national exchequer or their
hands are tainted with the blood of humanity."
About 5,800 candidates contested the
polls, with many former politicians, mujahideen
and even Taliban figures taking part. As they are
the people with resources, they are expected to
dominate the composition of the new assembly.
"Is there anybody who would question
people like Younus Qanooni or Professor Abdul Rab
Rasool Sayyaf [a Pashtun leader] where they got
the money for the posters and banners with their
pictures that they have over the whole of Kabul?
Or is there anybody who would ask why we still
have destroyed roads and infrastructure in Kabul,
despite millions of dollars in foreign funding,
and how all these candidates and their partymen
have brand new motorcars?" Hameedullah a.
Syed Saleem Shahzad, Bureau
Chief, Pakistan Asia Times Online. He can be
reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
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