Millions of Afghans turnout despite threats from Taliban

Kabul, 20 Aug 2009. - Millions of Afghans exercised their right to vote today to choose a new president on a day that left fifty dead victims of Taliban violence, which had a magnitude less than expected by the authorities.
Schools closed one hour later than scheduled, the hours 16.00 local (11.30 GMT) - for more people to exercise their right to vote and the Electoral Commission welcomed the fact that 6,199 schools (95 per percent of total) could open its doors.
"The elections have passed in a peaceful manner, said at a news conference the president, Hamid Karzai. I congratulate our people for their courage and hope that our country succeed. "
According to top security officials, election day there were 130 attacks, many shells and four of them suicide bombers, who killed 17 members of security forces and 9 civilians and wounded 52 other people.
In addition, 21 Taliban were killed and another twenty were wounded, police said, in a shootout against the security forces in the northern Baghlan, where the Electoral Commission decided to extend the voting hours for another hour, until six, after happened.
Also killed a U.S. soldier of ISAF in a mortar attack in the east.
But despite the sporadic acts of violence for most of the country, the UN mission (UNAMA) maintained that the Taliban attempts to destabilize the process and intimidate voters were "lower than expected."
"We are cautiously optimistic because we know that millions of people have defied the danger. We believe that predictions of a massive security situation have failed, "said Efe UNAMA spokesman, Aleem Siddique.
The authorities had declared a holiday the day to facilitate voting by citizens and street-at least in the capital woke up without the usual pedestrian or traffic and the vast majority of shops closed.
Security checks were more intense than usual and the police was used to give high the few vehicles on the road to record thoroughly with dogs trained in explosives.
Karzai opened the vote very early in the electoral college, an institute of the heavily protected heart of Kabul, from which asked citizens a vote for stability and peace "to build a better country."
"No to violence. Vote no to violence! "urged Karzai, asked about Efe, on leaving school, ready with the first voters to exercise their right to vote.
According to data from UNAMA, the vote went better than expected in the very north-female participation and suffers in the south, the traditional stronghold of the Taliban, where the conflict is sharper and easier to bullying.
The Election Commission has already launched the counting of votes without further public participation data, which, according to Interior Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar, has been a 70 percent despite a boycott and threats from insurgents.
At the polls were called about 17 million Afghans in charge of electing the head of state in the second presidential election since the fall of the Taliban regime in 2001, with Karzai as the main favorite.
In recent days several of its rivals have reported their suspicions that the Government was preparing a fake, dummy records, vote buying, to ensure re-election without a runoff.
"They have detected fraud-confirmed Siddique. But nothing suggests that they were systematic. Where they occurred, measures were taken, so do not violate the integrity of the process. "
The doubts about the cleanliness of the process are based on the absence of a census, rampant illiteracy and logistical difficulties because of the difficult terrain and severe conflict against the Taliban.
"It's too early to judge. With all its limitations, the country has shown the world that can make an election. It is a good day for Afghanistan, "the UN spokesman.
Karzai, who needs more than 50 percent of votes to be reelected in the first round, had in the polls with much advantage over his rivals, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former Planning Minister Ramazan Bashardost.
The first official results will be announced on September 3, according to the Electoral Commission.

Afghans elect their president tomorrow with Karzai as favorite

Kabul, 19 Aug 2009. - Afghanistan held tomorrow, Thursday, the second presidential election since the U.S. invasion and the fall late 2001 the Taliban regime, who have called for a boycott and today have become sowing campaign of violence with assault to a bank in Kabul and an assassination attempt in Kandahar.
According to the Afghan Interior Ministry, the assault to the bank was resolved with the death of three insurgents at the hands of police, three of whose officers had three wounded.
In addition, a district chief and a tribal leader died and another person was injured by an exploding bomb their vehicle in the southern province of Kandahar, said a police source told Efe.
During the campaign, the Taliban have stepped up attacks on both foreign forces as Afghan authorities, in an attempt to deter at 17 million Afghans called to the polls tomorrow to elect a president and members of provincial councils.
To counter the Taliban boycott and "ensure broad participation" elections, the Afghan government did not hesitate now, when we celebrate Independence Day, to adopt censorship by prohibiting the dissemination of news about "any incident of violence" during voting hours.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai (an ethnic Pashtun majority in the country), the favorites according to a survey by the American Institute IRI, which promises a second round of the Tajik Abdullah Abdullah, former foreign minister and former deputy commander of the Afghan who led the anti-Taliban resistance and was killed days before the 11-S, Ahmed Shah Massoud.
According to the poll, the big surprise of the elections could be given by the Hazara (Shia Muslim ethnic group located primarily in eastern Afghanistan) Ramazan Bashardost, who is running from a simple tent outside parliament and in the third figure of intent vote, ahead of former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani.
Of the 41 original candidates, two of them women, a dozen have gone to support Karzai, who at the last minute has also attracted the support of the Uzbek Rashid Dostum, a controversial leader of the northern Afghan accused of war crimes and betraying all his former partners.
With some 100,000 soldiers of NATO or U.S. committed to ensuring a safe environment for weeks leading vote-in special operations were carried out in the Taliban strongholds in the southern province of Helmand, security is the great challenge of this election.
Karzai seeks reelection to a subject people increasingly to higher levels of violence, more than 2,100 civilians killed in military action in 2008 - and it remains among the poorest in the world, with one third of the population (7.3 million) threatened by hunger, as reported today Oxfam.
Oxfam joined critical voices against the corruption that has characterized the mandate of Karzai, who has prevented aid gets to its rightful recipients, and demanded "major reforms" to the future government to prevent further squandering funds.
Opponents of Afghan President also questioned the policy of alliances and its collusion with various sectors to ensure power, particularly with the reviled Dostum but also with other Afghan leaders, including Mohammed Fahim and Ismail Khan.
The BBC helped yesterday, Tuesday, to suspicions of fraud to disseminate its own investigation found that attempts to sell hundreds of voter cards and purchasing support for certain candidates.
"There has been traditional fraud in Afghanistan and this year there will be audits to detect it. The Afghan election commission has international support and I know that your preparation for the elections, if not flawless, stays close, "said Efe Maria Espinosa, the observation mission of the EU.
Analysts point out that after almost eight years of effort in Afghanistan, the international community can not afford failed elections and is willing to be benevolent to the Afghan electoral process, which takes place without any census.
Bashardost said he did not doubt that it has done everything possible to encourage Karzai, with induction attempts to vote as the recent publication of the U.S. Institute survey that gives the victor.
Until September 3 will not be known the provisional results of the election, which shall be final 17. If you had to hold a second round, this would be in October