By Norine MacDonald
6:40am A short
update: Contacts in Mazar report rumours of a large demonstration in favour of
Dr. Abduallah planned for tomorrow.
Additionally there are reports of dramatically high numbers of Karzai
votes coming out of Kandahar,
despite that voter turnout was low.
I note I am passing on unconfirmed information. Elections Commission having a
press conference just now.
5:54am From my
conversations with our staff in the southern provinces voter turn out was
indeed very low.
Despite not so many Taliban attacks yesterday the Taliban in the end managed to
keep Afghans away from the polls.
This could be characterized as psychological and political success story
for them -- and unfortunately not a success story for the NATO/U.S.
security initiative in the south, nor the international community's attempt to
convince Afghans to go out and vote.
As we noted before the election, how much of the Pashtun population will have
been disenfranchised by the security situation, and how does that affect the perceived
legitimacy of the voting?
Last "election" the alleged turnout was 70%...
3:12am Karzai's campaign said on Tolo TV they have won the first
round. Abdullah responded that he had received 61% of the vote.
On another interesting rumor is that Bashardost was Number 2 in Kabul polls.
Elections Commission has in fact not released any results.
From reports from our staff voter turnout in Helmand
exceptionally low, but maybe overall ten percent of the polling stations
actually didn't open.
It's interesting not how many Taliban attacks there were yesterday but how few
compared to their threats.
It's quiet today in Kabul
so far -- it's Friday, and the first day of Ramadan which helps.
Norine MacDonald is the
president and founder of the International
Council On Security and Development.
(0)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE