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Doubts on Afghan vote
Source: Agencies |
September 20, 2010, Monday
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AFGHAN election observers said they had serious concerns about the legitimacy of last weekend's parliamentary balloting as officials began yesterday to tally the results - a process that could take months.
The vote holds a chance of redemption for a government that lost much of its credibility both with Afghans and its international backers due to a fraud-tainted presidential election a year ago. But charges that anti-fraud measures broke down mean the vote counting and investigation of complaints will have to be rigorous to guarantee a legitimate outcome.
The country's international backers rallied around the government as polls closed on Saturday, offering praise for those who voted despite bomb and rocket attacks and hoping for a democratic result, but the main Afghan observer group said the quality of the balloting was questionable.
The Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) said it "has serious concerns about the quality of elections," given the insecurity and numerous complaints of fraud. FEFA, which is an independent group, deployed about 7,000 people around the country, making it the largest observer of the parliamentary vote. Many international observer groups scaled back their operations from last year because of security concerns.
At least 21 civilians and nine police officers were killed during the voting, according to the election commission and the Interior Ministry, amid 43 bomb explosions and 78 rocket strikes nationwide. In addition, two poll workers were kidnapped in northern Balkh province and their bodies were discovered yesterday, Afghan election commission chairman Fazel Ahmad Manawi said.
The attacks appeared to have the desired effect, as many polling sites had light turnout. A number of polling stations were closed because of security problems, causing some in safer areas where voters went instead to run out of ballots.
The vote holds a chance of redemption for a government that lost much of its credibility both with Afghans and its international backers due to a fraud-tainted presidential election a year ago. But charges that anti-fraud measures broke down mean the vote counting and investigation of complaints will have to be rigorous to guarantee a legitimate outcome.
The country's international backers rallied around the government as polls closed on Saturday, offering praise for those who voted despite bomb and rocket attacks and hoping for a democratic result, but the main Afghan observer group said the quality of the balloting was questionable.
The Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) said it "has serious concerns about the quality of elections," given the insecurity and numerous complaints of fraud. FEFA, which is an independent group, deployed about 7,000 people around the country, making it the largest observer of the parliamentary vote. Many international observer groups scaled back their operations from last year because of security concerns.
At least 21 civilians and nine police officers were killed during the voting, according to the election commission and the Interior Ministry, amid 43 bomb explosions and 78 rocket strikes nationwide. In addition, two poll workers were kidnapped in northern Balkh province and their bodies were discovered yesterday, Afghan election commission chairman Fazel Ahmad Manawi said.
The attacks appeared to have the desired effect, as many polling sites had light turnout. A number of polling stations were closed because of security problems, causing some in safer areas where voters went instead to run out of ballots.
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