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Afghans Vote in Run-off Election despite Taliban Threats

Afghans Vote in Run-off Election despite Taliban Threats
folder_openAfghanistan access_time9 years ago
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Local Editor

Afghans defied Taliban threats by voting Saturday in a second-round presidential election, as US-led combat troops wind down a 13-year war that has failed to defeat the insurgents.

Afghans Vote in Run-off Election despite Taliban ThreatsNo major attacks were reported in the first hours of voting, though the Taliban claimed responsibility for two rockets exploding near Kabul airport causing no casualties.

The run-off election will decide whether former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah or ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani leads the country into a new era of declining international military and civilian assistance.

President Hamid Karzai is due to step down after ruling the country since 2001.
"We are very proud to be choosing our favorite candidate," he said after voting.
"Today Afghanistan goes from a transition period toward long-lasting peace and stability."
In the first-round vote in April, the insurgents failed to launch a single high-profile attack and voter turnout was more than 50 percent.
But the stakes were high on Saturday with the Taliban issuing specific threats to target polling stations and widespread fears that electoral fraud could produce a contested result
.
UN head of mission Jan Kubis issued a stark warning to candidates' supporters not to resort to the ballot-box stuffing that marred the 2009 election when Karzai retained power.
"Do not commit fraud. Do not use intimidation or manipulation to favor your candidate," he said ahead of polling day.

Abdullah secured 45 percent of the first-round vote with Ghani on 31.6 percent, after investigations into fraud claims from both sides.
The two candidates came top of an eight-man field, triggering the run-off election as neither reached the 50 percent threshold needed for outright victory.
They both cast their ballots in Kabul before dipping a finger in ink to register that they had voted.

On the campaign trail, Abdullah and Ghani offered similar pledges to tackle rampant corruption, build much-needed infrastructure and protect citizens from violence.
Harsh terrain and poor roads make holding an Afghan election a logistical challenge, with thousands of donkeys used to transport ballot boxes to remote villages.
Counting the ballot will take weeks. The preliminary result is due on July 2 and a final result on July 22.

Ahead of the vote, the Taliban said that polling booths would be targeted by "non-stop" assaults.
"By holding elections, the Americans want to impose their stooges on the people," the insurgents said on their website.
"The level of threats is higher compared to the first round, but we have gained far more experience," said interior minister Omar Daudzai.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team


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