Afghans are waiting for the declaration of the final preliminary result of the presidential polls, and a second round of voting cannot be ruled out.
Afghans are waiting for the declaration of the final preliminary result of the presidential polls, and a second round of voting cannot be ruled out. The overwhelming opinion however is that democracy should be given a chance, and who the president is should be decided by voters.Farida Tamana, a Kabul resident who said she cast her vote with “great enthusiasm” on April 5, said, “My wish and hope from the candidates and other related institutions is that they should let the votes of people decide.”
With the winning candidate having to secure 51 percent of the vote the likelihood of the election going into a second round cannot be ruled out. The people want a candidate who will solve their problems through the rule of law and a framework of peace.
A question in many people’s minds now is whether the political actors would respect the result of the poll when the final results are announced after all the votes have been counted and complaints investigated?
Zia Danesh, a writer and political analyst, warned, “The reaction of politicians, specifically the reaction of probable losers, and their responses regarding the work of the Election Commission can have strong implications on peace. The lack of respect for law, the spreading of rumours and arousing passions with unwise statements can put a big load on the Afghan nation. Unfortunately the result of the elections could be something that upsets the big achievements of people on election day!”
Save democracy
Hopes are still flying high that the Election Commission would be able to impartially consider the tremendous achievement of people’s participation in the elections, and sift through the complaints honestly without damaging or shaking people’s trust in the democratic process.
Will democracy emerge unscathed from the current challenges and invisible pressures?
Daud Muradian, head of the Afghan Institute of Strategic Studies (AISS), is of the opinion that democracy has the support of “millions of Afghans” although it is threatened by external interference and internal conflict. “Many millions of Afghans went to polling booths despite threats and attacks by the Taleban,” he said. “In spite of all these threats the possibility of the successful installation of a democratic government, Afghanistan’s third, is very high,” he added.
Muradian has an optimistic view of the future. “If the external environment is ready and the political leaders act jointly and responsibly then Afghanistan can give the region a lesson in democracy.”
The staggered release of results of the presidential elections and the Independent Election Commission’s reluctance to share detailed information on the vote count has raised questions about the transparency of the process.
According to the results of the second round of partial results on April 20, Dr Abdullah Abdullah has continued to lead the field with 44.47 percent of votes followed by Ashraf Ghani with 33.18 percent.
Both frontrunners have urged the IEC to assuage concerns about transparency. In interviews with TOLOnews TV Abdullah said, “The commission has invalidated 100,000 votes of people in Herat. This should be investigated through legal channels” and Ashraf Ghani said the IEC should publicise votes that have been cancelled. Ghani also, with the aim of keeping his supporters spirits high, said the staggered announcement of results was confusing voters because, “the final result would be most likely very different.”
Ghani wanted the IEC to separately announce the results in each province to ensure the process is transparent, and the verdict acceptable to all people.
More transparency
Transparency during the counting of votes is a basic premise for a fair and free election. Parliamentarians from Herat have objected to the cancellation of 100,000 votes without providing strong evidence to substantiate allegations of fraud.
Member of Parliament (MP) Khalil Ahmad Shaheedzada asked, “How is it possible for such a big fraud to take place in a city where security is strong, and there are hundreds of observers?”
He further said, “If the cancelled votes are proven the votes in other provinces also should not be accepted and should be invalidated.”
Ghulam Farooq Majroh, another MP, insisted the IEC has made a mistake in disqualifying the votes in Herat. “If these votes are indeed proven to be false I am ready to resign my position,” he said.
According to many MPs, the invalidation of votes can lead to a crisis in Afghanistan. “If people’s votes are unjustly announced to be false, it can precipitate a crisis in Afghanistan after the election results are announced. There must be a good reason to disqualify votes,” said Ghulam Husain Nasiri, an MP.
Bahaduri, another MP, said people want the election authorities to “act truly”. Voters have cast their vote in good faith, he added.
Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the speaker of the lower house, said, “The national assembly is never partial to fraud but the clean votes must not be invalidated.”
The Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) has defended its actions. Decisions have been taken as per regulations and backed by evidence, the spokesperson Nader Mohsini said.
