August 26, 2009

A Fair Election?

Charges of cheating emerge as Afghanistan awaits the results of its second-ever presidential election.

By Vickie An

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	Donkey trains carrying voting supplies were required to deliver ballots to Afghanistan's most remote towns. Here, a pack of donkeys and their handlers trek through the rugged mountains of the Panjshir valley ahead of the August 20 election.

On August 20, Afghanistan held its second-ever democratic presidential election. But claims that some candidates may have cheated are causing concern. Was the contest fair?

Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission began announcing early polling results this week. So far, current president Hamid Karzai is in the lead over his top challenger, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah. Final results will not be known until mid-September.

Cheating Charges

Karzai is running for reelection. He has been in office for nearly eight years. On August 23, Abdullah held a press conference in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. He accused Karzai of rigging the vote. Karzai says Abdullah's claims of cheating are not true.

A group of six other candidates have also filed complaints of cheating with the election commission. "Fraud [or cheating] in the election could result in increased tension and violence, and millions of Afghans across the nation are concerned," the group said. The candidates are calling for an investigation.

Under Afghanistan law, a candidate needs more than 50% of the vote to win. Wednesday's vote count shows that Karzai is ahead with 45% of the counted votes. Abdullah has 35%. Only 17% of the votes nationwide have been counted so far. If needed, a run-off election would be held in October between the two candidates who get the most votes.

A Troubled History

The future of Afghanistan is important to the United States. More than 60,000 U.S. soldiers are currently in the war-torn nation. American troops invaded Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001.

The U.S. mission was to overthrow the Taliban (tahl-ih-bahn). The Taliban is a group that once controlled Afghanistan. They protected al-Qaeda (al-kye-da), the terrorist group responsible for the attack on the United States.

Three months after the U.S. invasion, the Taliban was removed from power. Democratic elections and a new constitution were established. But there are areas in the country where Taliban forces are still strong. In the days leading up to the election, the group made threats of violence against voters.

The Courage to Vote

Even though security was tight during the election, Afghan citizens were still worried about their safety. So, many people stayed away from the polls in some parts of the country. But millions still voted. On election day, 32-year-old Amina woke up to explosions in her neighborhood. She lives in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan. After changing her mind several times, Amina finally set out to vote. Her 4-year-old daughter was by her side.

"I was very afraid. But I voted because it's my right, just like men do," Amina said. "Our democracy is young and we must be brave." -With reporting by Homayoun Shoaib in Kandahar for TIME

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