Now that the elections are over, the citizens of Afghanistan are trying to come to terms with the way in which their president was selected for a second term. Some people are just relieved that the Independent Election Commission (IEC) put an end to the ambiguity that had paralyzed the country for two months by declaring Hamid Karzai president of the country. They are waiting for Karzai to put aside politics and start working for the good of the people.
But others see the manner of Karzai’s selection as a serious threat to democracy. They question the IEC’s decision, calling it illegitimate.
Karzai and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah had been scheduled to meet in a second round of voting on November 7; when Abdullah pulled out of the race on November 1, the IEC cancelled the runoff and declared Karzai the winner.
Juma Khan, a resident of Herat, is among those who welcomed the selection of Karzai.
Engineer Baryalai, a 31-year-old resident of Nangarhar province, is satisfied that the IEC spared the country the expense and danger of a runoff election.
“I am happy that Karzai was elected, but I am concerned about corruption and the war criminals that are surrounding him,” he said.
Karzai sought support from a wide variety of political actors during his campaign, and now owes political patronage to many who are looked upon with fear and loathing by a wide swath of the population.
“Indeed, I am pleased that Karzai was elected because there was not a good alternative,” said Hamid Shirzad, a student in Kandahar University, “But the people will not be satisfied if he continues his previous policies and does not replace his current team.”
Women see Karzai as their ally, since he made it possible for girls to go back to school after the dark years of the Taliban regime.
“Karzai transformed inactive Afghanistan into an active country and paved the way for girls to continue their education,” said Najiba Ahmadi, head of the administrative section for the Afghanistan Youth Social Council in Balkh province.
Kandahar University student Waheed Ahmad Safi praises Karzai for Afghanistan’s new status in the world community, after its years as a virtual pariah state under the Taliban. He has little patience for discussions about the legality of the IEC’s decision.
“People who have been suffering war do not care whether the election is legitimate or not,” he said. “They just want a sound government and an honest president who will think about their welfare and their country’s interests. Cancelling the runoff saved a huge amount of money, and prevented casualties that would have happened on polling day.”
In the first round of elections, on August 20, over 400 separate attacks were registered throughout the country, as the insurgency made good on its threats to disrupt the poll. Dozens of people were killed, many more injured.
The runoff was supposed to erase the stain of fraud that hung over the first round – according to the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) more than 1.3 million votes were falsified.
“People would not have participated in the runoff because of the Taliban’s threats,” said Shir Afzal, 47, who lives in the Shirzade district of Nagarhar province. “And people had lost their faith in the electoral process because of the widespread fraud in the first round.”
Others are against the IEC’s decision. They believe that declaring Karzai as president without conducting the runoff is against the law and paves the way for further violations. For these people, Karzai’s eight-year tenure as head of the government has produced little that is positive.
“We were very happy about the runoff because we really believed that Afghanistan was moving towards democracy,” said Mukhtar Ahmadi, a 20-year-old resident of Bamyan province. “It did not happen. Our president was appointed, not elected, and the situation is getting worse and worse. Karzai can do nothing.”
But the governor of Bamyan, Habiba Surobi, the only woman to head a provincial government in Afghanistan, told a gathering in Bamyan that she supported the IEC’s decision.
“I congratulate Karzai on his re-election,” she said. “The IEC’s decision stabilizes the country.”
Mohammad Jan, 34, also from Bamyan, disagrees.
“Karzai cannot stabilize Afghanistan,” he said. “Instead, he will create instability.”
Similar gatherings in support of Karzai were organized in Kandahar, where the president’s brother, Ahmad Wali Karzai, heads the provincial council.
While Afghans are questioning their new government, the international community has hailed Karzai as the legitimate leader of the country. However, they have put serious pressure on the president to battle corruption and insecurity.
Karzai will also have to deal with the expectations of his countrymen, who are waiting for him to deliver on the promises he has made of better living conditions and a brighter future.
IFES reporter Noor-u-llah Noori contributed to this report.
