Afghanistan will hold a run-off presidential vote on Nov. 7, a formidable task at a time when the insurgency is at its strongest in the West's eight-year war against the Taliban and al Qaeda.
The vote pits President Hamid Karzai against former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah who has accused the incumbent of widespread fraud during the first round on Aug. 20.
Following are key concerns:
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fraud An Afghan woman casting her ballot at a polling station in Kabul * Preventing a repeat of widespread fraud that compromised the first-round election is the main challenge for election officials. Afghanistan's government-appointed Independent Election Commission (IEC) says it is in the process of sacking or replacing about 200 suspect election staff across the country.
* The IEC is also reviewing the number of polling stations required for the run-off. The United Nations, which provides key electoral support, says polling stations in areas where turnout was low in the first round because of bad security and where fraud had taken place would not open, and voters would be encouraged to cast their ballots in nearby locations.
* Up to 25,000 polling stations were opened in the first round but only about 16,000 are expected to open this time. The final number of polling stations is being finalized.
* The United Nations says it has received assurances from the IEC that it will not rehire staff that have either not followed procedures correctly or were complicit in fraud.
* The IEC has also vowed to prosecute anyone suspected of having committed fraud during the first round.
* The entire process including both rounds of voting is expected to cost $380 million, according to the United Nations.
* The European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are due to send election observers but have not finalized the size of their missions. About 7,000 Afghan monitors are also expected to observe the election. |
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Campaigning Karzai claimed victory despite EU concern about suspect votes * Campaigning officially started on Saturday. It has been subdued, with both candidates saying they will not re-organize the big rallies and vigorous nationwide campaigning that preceded the first round.
* The lack of campaigning and continued wrangling between Karzai and Abdullah have given rise to speculation that Abdullah may consider pulling out from the race altogether, but so far both candidates have strongly upheld their commitment to the run-off as a way to legitimize the democratic process.
* Karzai will not organize any rallies and his campaign spokesman said active campaigning was not part of his policy for the run-off. "We will not have an active campaign as we had in the first round," Wahid Omar said, adding that the main goal was to encourage voters to turn up and cast ballots on Election Day.
* Abdullah has held regular meetings with his campaign managers and supporters but has not organized rallies in the capital or elsewhere. |
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Security Government forces have for years been fighting against Taliban militants * The Taliban vowed last week to disrupt the run-off vote in a repeat of their threat to derail the disputed first round, and urged Afghans to boycott the election.
* Despite sporadic attacks against candidates, election officials and polling stations during the first round, Taliban insurgents failed to disrupt the process entirely. In some areas, the Taliban scared voters into staying home on election day by cutting off the ink-marked fingers of those who had cast ballots. The ink is meant to prevent multiple voting but it also helped militants pick out those who had voted.
* The U.S.-led NATO force has had a contingency plan in place for a second-round run-off since August and says it is fully ready to assist Afghan forces on Nov. 7. "This (election) is no surprise," said a spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force. "The planning was in place since August."
* The United Nations says it is encouraged by assurances by security institutions that preparations are in hand to secure the run-off.
* The summer fighting season is also drawing to a close and the corn harvests in the most violent southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar will mean clearer visibility for troops fighting insurgents there.
* NATO and Afghan security forces have held regular meetings in the past week on election security plans and have vowed to take steps to prevent the insurgents from disrupting the ballot.
* Officials are also concerned about the onset of the bitter winter in Afghanistan, when much of the north and centre of the country becomes impassable. But the weather in the most populated areas of the country is likely to be clear on Nov.7. |
