AsiaNews sources in Kabul react to decision to audit the ballot. The 2014 presidential elections were to be "the first act of genuine democracy in the country”. The ballot has overturned the results of the first phase of voting by suggesting possible fraud.

Kabul (AsiaNews) - The vote recount in the presidential elections in Afghanistan "is a defeat for what was to be the first act of genuine democracy in the country". This is the comment of  AsiaNews sources in Kabul, anonymous for security reasons, on the decision of the Afghan authorities - taken with the "supervision" of the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry - to carry out a new vote count, to settle the dispute on the outcome of the election held on 14 June last.

The results gave victory to Ashraf Ghani, an independent candidate ethnic Pashtuns (the majority, ed), with 56.44% of votes. A margin of over 10 points on his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah, a candidate of the National Coalition of Afghanistan and ethnic Tajik, who came in at 43.45%. A sharp reversal from the first phase of voting (April 5), which ended without a winner but with Abdullah clearly leading on Ghani.

This turnabout has heightened fears of fraud, from the outset considered the major "threat" to the democratic choice of the new president of Afghanistan. After a moment of uncertainty, both candidates agreed to proceed with the recount of the votes, and to accept the final result. Hamid Karzai, the outgoing head of state, could not re-run because already in his second term.

"The fact that they accepted this vote recount - say AsiaNews sources - is of some importance, especially after the failure of not succeeding in having truly democratic elections." Even more so, they add, "that there was fraud on both sides, although you have to wonder how that could happen. There were international monitors - though not in all the polling stations - and yet there was serious fraud: the number of ballots was higher than the number of registered voters and the number of electronic votes was greater than that of the population. All things that international controls should have prevented".

"I do not have a preference between the two candidates - they say - but it would be nice if for once the new head of state was, not Pashtun. Faced with a population as diverse as that of Afghanistan this would be a true expression of democracy" .

 

 

• afghanistan
• presidential
• elections
• fraud
• recount
• abdullah