WAR-WEARY NATION FINDS HOPE IN YOUNG POLITICIANS
▶ Fresh faces are taking on old guard in Afghan parliamentary elections
After a delay of nearly three years, Afghans are preparing to vote in the parliamentary elections on Saturday.
Preparations have been blighted by insecurity, violence, political intrigue and instability.
But despite security threats and concerns over the electoral process, there is an unmistakable excitement among Afghans throughout the country.
Nearly eight million people have registered to vote for more than 2,565 candidates contesting 249 parliamentary seats.
A large number of these candidates – about 60 per cent – are under 40 years of age.
The promise of new faces and ideas is perhaps what has generated tremendous interest from an otherwise war-weary nation.
Local activists say the new names, despite being less powerful, are challenging the position of entrenched warlords.
A sign that they may be shaking up the status quo is the number of attacks on candidates. A few weeks ago, a political rally by a young candidate, Abdul Nasir Momand, was targeted in the Kama district of Nangarhar, killing 13 and injuring 42 of his supporters. Mr Momand escaped unhurt and is determined to contest the elections.
At least 10 candidates have been killed in the past few months, making this campaign season one of the deadliest.
The Taliban is opposed to the vote, despite its ongoing negotiations with the US administration.
Last week, it warned candidates to refrain from participating in the elections.
“Your nomination and success directly supports the vicious objectives of American invaders by legitimising their bogus procedures and conspiracies, which is indeed supporting them in killing the pious Muslims and destroying the country by extending the ongoing war,” the Taliban said.
In provinces such as Kandahar, Helmand and Ghazni – where the Taliban controls entire districts – the security situation remains extremely vulnerable, casting doubt on whether voting will take place.
“Elections might not take place in several districts in Kandahar that are under Taliban control. The same goes for Uruzgan and Zabul provinces,” a journalist from Kandahar told The National.
Across the country, security concerns have reportedly shut nearly 2,000 polling stations. Southern provinces, including Kandahar, Helmand, Uruzgan and Zabul – traditionally power centres for the old political ranks – are also leaning towards new faces.
Peace negotiations and security are the top issues for candidates. Nearly 3,000 Afghan civilians have been killed so far this year, with more than 5,000 injured in violent attacks.
While parliamentarians in Afghanistan do not make decisions relating to the security forces, they do have the authority to allocate international funds and to deliberate over security matters.
The focus on security during the campaign is especially urgent for provinces and regions previously considered relatively safe, such the northern belt.
A resurgent Taliban and the emergence of ISIS in the north could potentially affect the outcome of the elections in provinces such as Faryab, Samangan and Baghlan, where many polling stations will probably remain closed and a large proportion of the population have not registered to vote.
Political parties have less influence in the Afghan parliament than they do in many other countries, but the relatives of several prominent warlords are running for seats. In Baghlan, the son of notorious Uzbek strongman Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum is running for office.
“Gen Dostum’s daughter had also planned to run but then decided not to,” said journalist Ajmal Omari.
In Balkh, the son of Mohammad Mohaqiq, the second chief executive of Afghanistan (a recently created post equivalent to prime minister), is representing the Hezbe Wahadat party founded by his father.
In Kabul, which has 33 seats being contested by 804 candidates, security is extremely tight before the polls.
Makeshift checkpoints have sprung up across a capital bedecked in election posters.
Several of Kabul’s prominent candidates, many of them young, are independents.
But an established old guard refuses to retire.
Despite 22,000 biometric devices to confirm the identities of voters across Kabul, many remain concerned at the prospect of fraud.
And if history is any indication, contested results could add to political instability and eventually affect presidential elections scheduled for April next year.