- Title: Violence and fraud overshadow Afghanistan poll
- Date: 24th September 2019
- Summary: KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF OPERATIONS AND PLANS AT THE INTERIOR MINISTRY ABDUL MOQIM ABDULRAHIMZAI WALKING AND PUTTING MAP ON THE DESK AT HIS OFFICE / SECURITY PERSONNEL STANDING AROUND THE DESK VARIOUS OF ABDUL MOQIM TALKING TO HIS COLLEAGUES SECURITY MAPS ON THE DESK/ ABDUL MOQIM'S COLLEAGUE SHOWING A POINT IN MAP TO HIM (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABDUL MOQIM ABDULRAHIMZAI, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF OPERATIONS AND PLANS AT THE INTERIOR MINISTRY, SAYING: "We are fully committed and ready for the 28th of September, a milestone in our history. Our message is very clear to our people across the country, we are responsible for a safe and sound environment for our people across the country to come and vote. Afghan national security and defence forces proved in the past that they can provide a safe and sound security environment for our citizens across the country." KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) AN AMBULANCE LEAVING THE BLAST SITE TOWARD HOSPITAL VARIOUS OF AFGHAN SECURITY PERSONNEL PICK-UP CARS PARKED AT BLAST SITE / SECURITY PERSONNEL GUARDING AMBULANCE DRIVING TOWARD HOSPITAL KABUL, AFGHANISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) ABDUL MOQIM LOOKING AT A SECURITY MAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) ABDUL MOQIM ABDULRAHIMZAI, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF OPERATIONS AND PLANS AT THE INTERIOR MINISTRY, SAYING: "This year the election planning conducted by Afghan national security and defence forces independently, second, the threats are high and higher this year than 2014, third, the security incidents so far is less than 2014, last but not least from security perspective, the number of polling stations are less, but they are very much realistic." ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF AFGHANISTAN OMAR SADR WALKING AND SITTING FOR INTERVIEW OMAR'S EYES (SOUNDBITE) (English) OMAR SADR, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF AFGHANISTAN, SAYING: "Most of the concerns both from the citizens but also the political concerns is like the candidates and political parties, it's with aspect to the transparency of election and how much we are able to conduct free and fair election, so that's why the trust of the people is quite important for us, if people lose the trust on democratic process, it will be quite difficult to regain that trust." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING DOWN ON A SIDEWALK IN KABUL (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) MOHAMMAD MILAD PAYEEZ, KABUL RESIDENT, SAYING: "For the country to have a good fate, we must have a transparent election." VARIOUS OF VEHICLES DRIVING ON STREET / SHOPPING MALLS VARIOUS OF SHOPPERS WALKING AT A SHOPPING MALL (SOUNDBITE) (Dari) MAHBOOBA AZIMI, SCHOOL TEACHER, SAYING: "We want to have an absolutely transparent election without foreign interferences and I hope there won't be any controversy. We want the election to be held in a peaceful manner." VEHICLES DRIVING ON THE STREET
- Embargoed: 8th October 2019 05:15
- Keywords: Ashraf Ghani Abdullah Abdullah Afghanistan presidential election Taliban transparency threats security Abdul Moqim Abdulrahimzai analyst
- Location: KABUL, FARYAB, AFGHANISTAN
- City: KABUL, FARYAB, AFGHANISTAN
- Country: Afghanistan
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA006AY0LY6F
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Afghans are set to head to polls on Saturday (September 28) to choose the country's new leader.
Some 9.6 million voters have registered, in a country with a population of about 32 million.
Though election officials say preparations are well in hand, security worries could lead many to stay at home, potentially undermining the legitimacy of the eventual winner if turnout is too low. The Taliban have made no secret of their aim of disrupting the election, when President Ashraf Ghani will be bidding for a second five-year term.
A deadly suicide bombing last week near an election rally in central Afghanistan where Ghani was due to speak came as a sharp reminder of the risks to a ballot that has been twice delayed in the shadow of failed peace talks.
Despite the rise in bombings, presidential candidates - including Ghani and his long-term rival Abdullah Abdullah, now serving as the country's Chief Executive as a legacy of the bitterly disputed 2014 election - addressed large public gatherings recently, urging people to cast their vote to defeat the Taliban agenda of circumventing the democratic process.
Marred by accusations of massive fraud on both sides, the 2014 vote left no clear winner, obliging the United States to step in and broker a deal that saw Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah form an unwieldy national unity government.
Senior officials in Kabul said over 140,000 Afghan soldiers and police will be deployed to protect 28,000 polling stations and to facilitate the process that will cost $90 million to the state exchequer and almost $60 million to foreign donors.
(Production: Aziz Mohammad, Mohammad Akram, Sayed Hassib, Hameed Farzad, Phyllis Xu) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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