Voters in Nangarhar are happy to participate in the parliamentary election campaign – provided the price is right.

JALALABAD – “I have been to five different campaign rallies by five different candidates,” said Sayeed Rahman, a resident of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. “I receive money and gifts. I don’t go if I don’t get anything.”

His friend, Sayed Shah, agrees. He, too, admits to taking handouts from every candidate whose campaign events he has attended.

Afghanistan is heading into parliamentary elections on September 18. More than 2600 candidates are vying for 249 seats, so competition for voter attention is fierce. In addition, apathy has set in following a badly flawed presidential poll last year that has soured many in the democratic experiment. Several provinces, including Kabul, have reported low turnout at speeches, rallies, and other events, and observers have been predicting a slow and unexciting campaign season.

But, at least in Nangarhar, parliamentary hopefuls have found a way to keep people interested.

Most campaign speeches are followed by lunch, the more lavish the better. Small gifts or monetary contributions are also common.

Jamaluddin, a resident of Chaperhar district, received a turban from one candidate. That, he said, secured his vote.

“It would be unacceptable for me to receive a gift from one candidate but use my vote for another,” he said. “We go to campaign events where we receive clothing and turbans.”

There are voters who are against the practice of giving out goodies in return for the promise of a vote. Candidates who succeed through such measures seldom work for the people once they are in parliament, they say.

“I want to vote for an honest candidate who is loyal to his or her country and fellow countrymen,” said Rahman, a resident of Surkhrod district. “I want to vote for someone who has no money and who gives no gifts to the voters during the campaign.”

Mohammad Anwar Sultani, who is running for Parliament, says it is against the law to trade goodies for votes. “These candidates who give money and other things to get votes do not believe in their own abilities and so they try to succeed in illegal ways,” he said.

Another candidate from Nangarhar, Lutful Rahman Khamosh, also opposes the practice.

“This is an election abuse and against the principles of democracy,” he said. “Such tactics damage the freedom and transparency of the election.”

The Head of the Public Relations Department of the Independent Election Commission office in Nangarhar, Matiullah Ahmadzai, said that every candidate has the right to conduct his or her campaign in any way that does not violate the law. But it is not allowed to distribute money or gifts in return for votes, he insisted.

“Any candidate who gives money to people or in any way tries to force them to vote for him should be brought to justice,” he said. “The campaign is for the candidates to introduce their programs and their agendas, not for forcing people to vote for them. It is a violation of the IEC policies and such cases should be investigated.”