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| Afghanistan | |||
| Afghan election body says April poll not possible | |||
| 2009-03-04 | |||
| Presidential polls in Afghanistan cannot be held next month as demanded by President Hamid Karzai and August 20 must remain the polling day as originally scheduled, the election commission said on Wednesday. Karzai issued a decree at the weekend calling for the poll to be moved forward to April to comply with the constitution, a move that stirred up political turmoil at a time when the threat from the Taliban insurgency is steadily increasing. "Due to the weather, security, budgetary and technical problems that we have, the elections cannot be held on the basis of the presidential decree," said Azizullah Ludin, head of the government-appointed election commission. A period of political horse-trading will now likely ensue. Opposition leaders will demand Karzai step down after May 21, as demanded by the constitution, or at least try to extract guarantees from the president not to use his office to campaign. The United States, Afghan opposition groups and rival presidential contenders all back the original August date. The constitution says the president's term ends on May 21 and polls must be held at least a month before that.
Given the huge security problems in Afghanistan, few think polls can be organized in little over a month, so Karzai's move effectively called the opposition's bluff. His decree is seen as a way of forcing opponents to recognize his legitimacy after May 21 and allow him to retain the advantages of office while he goes on the election campaign. Ludin said at a news conference that, given the other factors and the commission's lack of preparedness for setting up polling stations on time, the elections would have to be held on August 20. The United Nations special envoy to Afghanistan swiftly hailed the commission's decision, saying the original polling date was important for the political stability of the country and the legitimacy of its constitution. The date would also provide the time needed by the commission and part of the international community involved in helping the polls with funding and security for it, a statement quoted envoy Kai Eide as saying.
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| Posted by:tipper |