With less than 7 weeks to go until the September parliamentary elections, security problems are making the candidates nervous and the voters reluctant to participate.

Afghan security forces are in charge of protecting the parliamentary candidates during the campaign. Nevertheless, candidates have been subjected to various threats such as kidnappings and assassinations, and some have left the campaign altogether.

Mohammad Yusuf, a candidate from the Gulran district of Herat province, was kidnapped along with his bodyguards by unknown gunmen on July 20, as he campaigned in his home district.

Abdul Rauf Ahmadi, spokesperson for the Western Police Zone, confirmed the incident, and told www.afghanistanvotes.com that an investigation had been launched. As yet there have been no leads. Nevertheless, he is sure that the police will be able to unravel the crime.

“The perpetrators will be brought to the justice,” he insisted.   

The head of the Electoral Complaints Commission in Herat, Ali Ahmad Radmanish, said that his office would try and help.

“Kidnapping, abduction and threats by one candidate against another are all considered to be electoral abuses,” he said. “When someone comes to the ECC to file a complaint we record it and refer it to the security authorities. On the other hand, the candidates can directly contact security authorities to alert them to any problems.”

Candidates have also been subjected to threats in other parts of the country.

Mawlawi Sayeedullah, a parliamentary candidate in the Ismail Khel district of Khost province, in eastern Afghanistan, was the target of a bomb attack on July 23. Wali Shah Rahmat, the district police chief, confirmed the incident, and explained that it has occurred while the candidate was addressing a gathering in a local mosque.

Mawlai Sayeedullah died shortly after the attack; 22 others were wounded, some critically.

Security problems are nothing new in Afghanistan, and previous elections were also plagued with threats and violence. But the situation has deteriorated markedly over the past several months. The armed opposition has warned that they will target candidates for Parliament, and punish voters who choose to participate in the poll.
 
“Security was stable in the past few years and candidates were able to campaign everywhere,” said Saima Khogiani, a female candidate in Nangarhar province. “But now the situation is worse, and women candidates cannot campaign in isolated areas of the province.”

Abdul Ghafoor, spokesperson for the Nangarhar Police Department, said that the police had matters in hand.

“Candidates are provided with two bodyguards to protect them,” he said.

But it is not enough, insist the candidates.
 
“We have already begun our campaigns but due to security problems we cannot run them effectively,” complained Khan Mohammad Mujahid, a candidate from Kandahar, in the Taliban heartland and one of the most troubled of Afghanistan provinces.

The Taliban and other armed opposition frequently threaten to create problems for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The government is now pondering how to handle the situation.

 “The government is responsible for ensuring candidates’ security, said Abdul Hadi Khalid, military analyst and former Deputy Minister of the Interior. “But the government is not able to guarantee their safety 100 percent. I think the candidates have to make their own arrangements; they should avoid insecure areas and run their campaigns in more secure districts.”

The large number of candidates – more than 2600 throughout the country – also poses problems for the security forces, he added.

“It will be difficult for the Ministry of the Interior to provide all candidates with bodyguards throughout the campaign, due to the huge number of candidates,” he said. “Also, we have a war going on in Afghanistan and the security forces cannot control all bombing incidents.”

Some observers question whether the security forces are doing enough to provide a safe environment for the elections.

“The Ministry of the Interior has talked repeatedly about the safety of the elections but it has not adopted the necessary measures,” said Amanullah Aman, a military analyst in Kabul. “The government must take strict measures in close cooperation with the foreign forces to conduct cleaning up operations in insecure areas to overcome these problems.”