The final results of the first round of elections were announced on May 15. The run-off will be between the two frontrunners: Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.
The final results of the first round of elections were announced on May 15. The run-off will be between the two frontrunners: Dr Abdullah Abdullah and Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai.No candidate was able to win 51 percent of the vote to be declared the winner in the presidential election. While Abdullah Abdullah was in the lead with 45 percent of votes, Ashraf Ghani followed with 31.6 percent, according to the results announced by the Independent Election Commission (IEC).
The runoff would be held on June 14, and the final results announced on July 22. The weeks in between will go in gathering the ballot boxes, the announcement of preliminary results, and the review of all complaints raised by parties in the fray.
The IEC has announced 4,000 more voting centres will be added to the list following complaints from voters about not enough voting centres and ballot sheets. Voters who could not exercise their franchise in the first round would not be left out in the second round, according to the election commission.
Noor Mohammad Noor, a spokesperson for IEC told the press in Kabul, “This time the commission has decided to have 24,000 polling centres … Voters need not worry about long lines at voting booths.”
Moreover, additional ballot sheets have been printed for dispatch to the provinces, the spokesperson said. “We have no problems in organising the runoff,” a confident Noor announced at the press conference.
He also assured the press about transparency in the election process. “The runoff would be easier for candidates, national and international observers because there are only two candidates unlike the last election when voting was for the provincial councils also and there were 11 candidates for president,” he said.
The head of IEC, Mohammad Yusuf Nooristani, said 3,000 people were found guilty of vote fraud on the last voting day, April 5. “Among them were field staff of the election commission, government authorities and observers,” he said.
Free and fair?
People remain sceptical about the forthcoming election. Women’s activist Shahla Maihandost, a resident of Kabul, said, “People came out in huge numbers to vote on April 5. It would have been better if the election had not gone into a second round considering the enormous security and economic burden on the country.”
Yusuf Nooristani has expressed concern about security for transporting election material, and election staff, and also on election day.
However, the authorities in charge of security are not worrying. General Mohammad Salem Ehsas, the head of Election Security Commission, says they are ready to face the challenge. “The enemies of Afghanistan tried a lot to sabotage our national process on April 5 … The Afghan security forces have the ability to ensure the security for runoff election by the help of God and cooperation of honorable Afghan people,” General Ehsas said.
Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani are ready for the runoff. Abdullah has received the support of two candidates in the first round, Zalmai Rassoul who won 11.37 percent of the vote and Gul Agha Sherzai with 1.57 percent.
Ahmad Jami, a voter in Herat city, says he will participate in the June 14 poll.
Dr Abdullah Qalandari from Daikundi province believes participation will be higher than the first round with the weather warming up in the high mountains, and people more at ease after the relatively peaceful first round.
Agha Reza a resident of Sar-e Pol is optimistic the election will be free and fair. “People want to prove they don’t want a government that wins through fraud and misuse of power.”
