Candidates are holding meetings, and posters have come up across the city as campaigning for the presidential and provincial elections starts. Voters are claiming for honest candidates with doable promises.
Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhel, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) secretariat, said postering has to follow new rules announced on Jan 31 about littering and vandalizing public property.
Candidates are holding meetings, and posters have come up across the city as campaigning for the presidential and provincial elections starts. Voters are claiming for honest candidates with doable promises.
Zia-ul-Haq Amarkhel, head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) secretariat, said postering has to follow new rules announced on Jan 31 about littering and vandalizing public property. “If candidates disobey and posters are indiscriminately plastered for instance, the Electoral Complaints Commission can take action,” he explained.
Candidates have to submit details of electoral expenses. A limit has been put on election budgets. A presidential candidate cannot spend more than 10 million Afs (roughly 176,300 USD).
Kabul Municipality has prohibited the pasting of posters on walls of houses, telephone boxes and other public property. Offenders will be fined 100 Afs (nearly 2 USD) for small posters and 500 Afs (roughly 9 USD) for large posters. The posters would be removed.
IEC commissioner Sareer Ahmad Barmak said, “Funding and spending sources of candidates should be transparent.”
Herat mayor Mohammad Salim Taraki has fixed spots for postering. A resident of Herat, Mohammad Wase, is all praise for the mayor. He told Radio Killid it would help keep the city clean and beautiful. In the previous election (2009) posters had defaced large parts of the city.
Keeping pledges
People are seeking honest candidates who keep their word. Farid Ferotan, a Kabul resident, said the consideration was most important for him. “Candidates should not make false promise because people have become politically savvy, and cannot be deceived. In previous elections many promises were made but many candidates were dishonest, and never kept their word,” he said.
Presidential candidate Dr Abdullah Abdullah announced a seven point agenda for the future. At an election meeting on Feb 2 in Kabul he promised to work for peace and security, economic growth, job creation, poverty alleviation, anti-corruption, reform and justice. He also promised to protect women’s rights based on Islamic beliefs and improve the situation of women prisoners.
Qayum Karazi who formally launched his election campaign with a public meeting said he was sworn to “saving the country from war” and running a democratic campaign. He insisted relations with Afghanistan’s neighbours should be amicable, and economic relations must be good.
Gul Agha Sherzai promised to fight for national unity, and ensure peace and security. He mentioned rehabilitation as an important issue on his agenda.
Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, who is running with Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum and Sarwar Danish as vice-presidents, has been actively campaigning on social media. Networks like Facebook are very popular among young voters.
Ahmadzai has promised to travel to every province to see the situation on the ground. He described corruption as a “crime”, and promised to submit a report card on his government’s performance every six months if he is voted to power.
Another candidate Abdul Rasul Sayyaf has listed “ensuring security, rule of law, and countering corruption” as the main aims of his agenda.
Fair and just government
Candidates should have doable promises, political observers say.
Ali Buniadi, a journalist and political analyst, said, “If there is no intention (to deliver on promises) it mean deceiving the people. This is not acceptable from the religious point of view as well as human. It can only result in infamy for the candidate and anarchy in the country.”
People want a fair and just government committed to social and political stability, and respect of law.
“These traits must be evident in the election campaign. Voters want to believe that a government led by such a candidate would protect their political, social and economic rights,” said Buniadi.
