Not Another Election!


Written by Huma Iqbal • Region • November 2009

It may be normal in democratic setups to have re-elections but for people in a place like Afghanistan, the idea appears a little unpalatable.After weeks of delay and mounting tension, Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has scheduled to hold a second round of elections between Karzai and former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah on November, after a controversial investigation into what the UN called "widespread" fraud.

Afghanistan went through its second democratic presidential election in August this year amidst tight security concerns in the wake of Taliban threats. Nearly two months after millions of Afghans voted for a president, they have at last been informed about the verdict of their ballots. However, not many are happy about it. Voters in Afghanistan have been digesting the news and are not very hopeful about the future of the ‘new verdict.

Many think there is no need for a second round, as it will only add to the already miserable condition of the Afghan people. Having braved the Taliban threats during the first round, they find it utterly useless to endanger their lives for the second time. Doubts about anybody replacing Karzai linger and many speculate if the former president has to be "back in the pavilion", why waste money and time on holding a second round. Democracy, they say is new here and hence fraud will follow no matter how many runs are conducted.

Others are skeptical about the entire procedure of holding the second round of elections, completely discrediting the process until "new faces replace the old ones." Old political leaders bring nothing but stale governance, thereby spreading further chaos and disruption, a large percentage of educated Afghans argue.

There is also widespread anger about the alleged fraud where many insist once the fraud has been established, that person should be disqualified forever instead of letting him run in an election again.

Also, the business community in Afghanistan eyes Karzai and Abdullah as corrupt and "inapt." They say corruption and fraud has been prevalent in the country and not just restricted to ballots. Projects are at a standstill, international and national NGOs, companies and organisations are not making decisions, while investment on local level has also been very low. However, they believe no elections can prove useful for the country, unless the political autonomy is not broken and replaced instead with coalition parties.

Many voters in Afghanistan have not been able to come out of the constant fear of Taliban attacks that they were threatened with before coming to poll. Many risked their lives and came to the polling stations in spite of continuous fighting in many parts of Afghanistan with suicide blasts and regular interruption of the procedure. News of second run therefore has met with fury, where many voters take it as disrespect to the thousands of people who risked their lives and came out at the polling stations.

"Foreign interference" is another claim that Afghans have been making as a reason for instability and fraud in the national elections. Intervention by the US and other European forces is being seen negatively in many parts of the country, where people think that the proposed scheme of the second round is anything but in national interest. It caters to "their interest only" as has been the case in past many years. Several Afghans also term the run-off "some sort of a deal made by the international community with the current president, to make him agree some promises for the future."

Trust in the second run off as well as the candidates running it is also declining amongst the masses. There is growing concern about resumption of corruption once a new but "old" government takes the charge. Terming it as a mere waste of available sources, many think the local and international measures put in place cannot be improved just by changing a few Afghans at the election stations.

Moreover, people are also of the opinion that the decision for a run-off has come too late. They argue that since the weather is changing, the intense cold will restrict voters to come out and vote. The low turn-out will not serve the purpose and things will remain as they already are.

A second round of voting is feared by Afghans. There is acute concern over whether a second round could result in a lower turnout, greater violence and even less legitimacy. However, there is also hope across Afghanistan that Afghan politicians can work this out peacefully, for the sake of a country facing huge challenges.