The Afghan Presidential election thread

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

http://www.azadiradio.com/en/specials/elec.../candidates.asp

 

Abdul Latif PEDRAM

Born: 1963 (Hegira 1342) in Badakhshan Province

Political Affiliation: candidate of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Kongra-ye Milli-ye Afghanistan), of which he is also party leader

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Ahmad Niro

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Qasem Ma'sumi

 

Pedram is running as a candidate of the recently established National Congress Party of Afghanistan, which he co-founded and for whom he currently serves as party leader. He is a former journalist, poet, and professor of Oriental studies who served as editor in chief of "Haqiqat-e Inqelab-e Sawr" -- the official mouthpiece of the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) -- during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979-89). After the downfall of the communists in 1992, Pedram spent years in Parisian exile. He is an ethnic Tajik.

    Pedram's power base remained unclear at the time of his registration.

    His candidacy quickly came under pressure when the Afghan Supreme Court called for him to be disqualified over "anti-Islamic" remarks he allegedly made while discussing women's issues in late August. The fate of his presidential bid hung in the balance as a result of the allegations of blasphemy. However, Pedram has contended that the Supreme Court has no authority to disqualify him.

    Pedram has called for the eventual transformation of Afghanistan into a federal system to ensure peace and stability, a move that some fear might instead further divide the country or even lead to its disintegration. He has decried "narrow-view nationalism," although some critics have accused him of playing the ethnic card against the Pashtun majority.

    He has also campaigned against the presence of "foreign forces' bases...under any pretext or label by any country that might threaten security among Afghanistan's neighbors or our national security" (BBC Dari Service).

    In late August, Pedram spearheaded the initial call by a majority of the candidates for Hamid Karzai to step down from his Transitional Administration chairmanship in order to run for the presidency; the group warned that it would boycott the election if Karzai did not comply (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari). Pedram also has vowed to boycott the election results "if there is fraud" ("Bahar").

    Rumors in early September of a possible coalition uniting candidates Sirat, Mohaqeq, and Qanuni in order to place Qanuni in the presidency (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari) included talk that Pedram and Mansur might join such a pre-election alliance.

 

Hamid KARZAI

 

Born: 1957 (Hegira 1336) in the southern Kandahar Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: Afghan Nation (aka Afghan Social Democratic Party); National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan; Republican Party; National United Party of Afghanistan; Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan; Youth National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Ahmad Zia Mas'ud

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Karim Khalili Ma'sumi

 

The compromise leader of the interim government ushered in by the Bonn agreement of December 2001, Hamid Karzai is an ethnic Pashtun with a natural power base in southern Afghanistan, where he rallied forces to help oust the Taliban amid U.S.-led air strikes.

    Now the chairman of the Afghan Transitional Administration that was confirmed by a mid-2002 loya jirga, Karzai enjoys broad support in the West, where he is seen as a moderate on religious issues, a free-marketer on economic issues, and a staunch advocate of women's rights.

    In spelling out his platform in a televised address on 11 September, Karzai cited the "complete destruction" that had been wrought on the country by "the Russian invasion, thieves, the Taliban movement, and terrorism" by the time his interim administration took office. He conceded lingering shortcomings that include a lack of stability and security; a failure to combat adequately corruption and other forms of official abuse; the absence of a fully formed national army, police force, and border guards; and too little investment into reintegrating mujahedin (war veterans) back into civilian life.

    But Karzai also set out as overarching goals a "strengthening of the system, stability, and security." His proposed formula includes a mix of infrastructure improvements and public-works programs, economic measures aimed at boosting private investment and more than doubling the average income in five years, and major spending to enhance education and health care and to provide for the country's war veterans, whose number is estimated to be in the millions. He has also vowed to fight the cultivation of crops used to produce illegal drugs and the trade in such substances.

    Karzai on 16 September urged rival Qanuni to "come back and give up his candidacy" in a move that some interpreted as a sign of the potential challenge that Qanuni's presidential bid might represent (AFP).

    The powerful Afghan Nation (aka Afghan Social Democratic Party [Afghan Mellat]) has extended its support to Karzai (Radio Afghanistan), in addition to the newly formed Republican Party, the National United Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Mutahed-e Melli-ye Afghanistan), the Islamic Justice Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Addalat-e Islami-ye Afghanistan) ("Hewad"), and the Youth National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan ("Erada").

    Critics and rivals have accused Karzai of improperly using government resources to further his presidential campaign and said he should step down ahead of the vote, citing a clause in the electoral law that states that "members of the government...who want to be candidates to the posts of the Presidential, National Assembly, and Provincial and District Councils, are required to tender their resignations 75 days prior to the [presidential] elections." Karzai has responded to such calls for his resignation by saying that Article 161 of the Afghan Constitution states that the head of state is to remain in office until the new president assumes those responsibilities.

    Karzai rejected an invitation by the Taliban in 1995 to represent that government at the United Nations despite his initial support for the movement. He later openly opposed the Taliban, citing their strict interpretation of Islamic law (Shari'a) and accusing them of dependency on foreign support (Adamec, p. 213).

    Hamid Karzai is the son of Abdul Ahad Karzai, a leader of the Popalzai Durranis and a member of the 1964 loya jirga and parliamentarian (1964-73) who presided over the Afghan national council. Hamid Karzai's resolve to see the ouster of the Taliban regime is said to have stiffened when his father was killed in 1999 while in self-exile in Quetta, Pakistan, presumably by elements allied with the Taliban.

    Karzai organized Pashtun resistance to the Taliban government in Oruzgan Province following the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan in late 2001, eventually proving "instrumental in the defeat of the Taliban in southern Afghanistan" (Adamec, p. 213).

 

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Homayun Shah ASEFI

 

Born: 1940 (Hegira 1319) in Kabul

Political Affiliation: running as an independent, but closely identified with the National Unity Movement (Tahrik-e Wahdat-e Melli)

Supported By: National Unity Movement (Tahrik-e Wahdat-e Melli)

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Hashem Esmatullah

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Tajwar Kakar

 

Asefi is a cousin of the late wife of former Afghan monarch Zaher Shah, Homaira, and a royalist.

    Asefi has stated his presidential ambition to bring stability to Afghanistan and strongly defend women's rights in the country (Afghanistan Television).

    He has cast doubt on the credibility of the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) set up to monitor the election process, noting that rival candidate Karzai was instrumental in the appointment of its members ("Kabul Weekly"). He has also been highly critical of Karzai's maintaining the reins of transitional government during the latter's presidential campaign.

 

http://www.azadiradio.com/images/english/e...ions/nedayi.jpg

Mohammad Mahfuz NEDAYI

 

Born: 1939 (Hegira 1318) in the northeastern Konar Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Sayyed Mohammad Aref Ebrahimkhayl

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Hakim Karimi

 

Nedayi was a member of the Emergency Loya Jirga that confirmed Karzai's Transitional Administration in mid-2002.

    Generally regarded as a leftist academic, Nedayi has focused considerable attention on boosting Afghanistan's economy, improving its infrastructure, and curbing corruption (Radio Kelid, Afghanistan Television). He has suggested that he favors public-works-style programs to construct dams and otherwise develop agricultural potential and provide power generation. He has also campaigned for equal rights and increased opportunities for women.

    Nedayi has decried the "importing of ideologies and their imposition on the oppressed Afghan people" since the appearance of democratically oriented parties and the interim government.

 

Mohammad MOHAQEQ

 

Born: 1935 (Hegira 1314) in Balkh Province

Political Affiliation: running as an independent, but is party leader of the Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Wahdat-e Islami-ye Mardum-e Afghanistan)

Supported By: Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Nasir Ahmad Ensaf

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Fayaz Mehrayin

 

Mohaqeq, an ethnic Hazara, draws his primary support from Hazaras in central Afghanistan and in neighboring Iran. He served as one of five deputy chairmen to Karzai and as planning minister in the post-Taliban Interim Authority (2001-02); with the establishment of the Transitional Administration in June 2002, he retained only the post of planning minister. Mohaqeq claimed to have been dismissed from the ruling cabinet by Karzai in March, sparking much controversy, while Karzai's side has maintained that Mohaqeq resigned (see "RFE/RL Afghanistan Report" 11 March 2004).

    Mohaqeq is the head of the Shi'a Islamic Unity Party of the People of Afghanistan, which arose from a split with the Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan (Hizb-e Wahdat-e Islami Afghanistan).

    He has described the current situation in Afghanistan as a "crisis of power" that is obstructing the establishment of a "healthy political system" (Afghanistan Television). Mohaqeq claims the Transitional Administration's failures should provide lessons about how to "build a brighter future."

    Mohaqeq cites lingering insecurity in the country's southern and eastern regions as a priority, suggesting his administration would act more decisively against neo-Taliban and terrorist elements. The Transitional Administration's policies in those troubled parts of the country represent "a dangerous mistake," he claims (Afghanistan Television).

    Rumors in early September of a possible coalition uniting Mohaqeq with candidates Sirat and Qanuni in order to place Qanuni in the presidency (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari) included talk that Pedram and Mansur might join such a pre-election alliance.

 

Abdul Satar SIRAT

Born: 1937 (Hegira 1316) in the north-central Samangan Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Qazi Mohammad Amin Weqad

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Qader Emami

 

Regarded as a member of the so-called Rome Group that is close to former monarch Zaher Shah, Sirat is a seasoned politician who was proposed to lead the future transitional government during the Bonn talks in 2001, reportedly even winning an internal vote over Karzai and Amin Arsala (see rferl.org, "Bonn Talks See Some Progress On Interim Government"). Sirat served as justice minister (1969-71) and minister without portfolio (1971-72) during the reign of Zaher Shah.

    Sirat received a bachelor's degree in Islamic law from Kabul University in 1960 and subsequently lectured on theology before pursuing further studies in the United States and Egypt. He spent much of the past three decades abroad following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, including teaching in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

    Sirat is an ethnic Uzbek whose mother tongue is Dari (Adamec, p. 356). He has decried what he describes as "tribalism in the formation of the government, assemblies, and commissions" ("Kabul Weekly"), suggesting that the transitional government and "interfering" foreign institutions were behind such machinations. He has vowed to work hard to establish national unity in Afghanistan.

    Sirat has identified Afghanistan's greatest problem as a lack of security throughout the country, noting that the current administration has failed despite the presence of international troops (Afghanistan Television). Sirat has noted and praised friendly relations with the United States, but he also expressed the hope that U.S. policymakers would not favor any particular candidate.

    Rumors in early September of a possible coalition uniting candidates Sirat, Mohaqeq, and Qanuni in order to place Qanuni in the presidency (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari) included talk that Sirat would become chief justice of the Afghan Supreme Court in return for his pre-election support. Sirat said in late August that while the large number of presidential candidates is a "positive" sign, it unnecessarily divides "the people's vote" and the figure of "at most two or three" would be more appropriate ("Kabul Weekly").

    Sirat is one of four candidates who did not join the August call for Karzai to resign his Transitional Administration chairmanship to run in the presidential election, although he has accused Karzai of misusing official resources and venues to further his campaign (Afghanistan Television).

 

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Abdul Hafez MANSUR

Born: 1963 (Hegira 1342) in Panjsher Valley, northeast of Kabul

Political Affiliation: running as an independent, but is a member of Burhanuddin Rabbani's Islamic Society of Afghanistan (Jami'at-e Islami-ye Afghanistan)

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Sayyed Mohammad Eqbal Munib

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Ayyub Qasemi

 

Mansur is editor in chief of the Islamic Society of Afghanistan's party mouthpiece, "Payam-e Mujahid" (Message of the Mujahedin). He was the first director of state radio and television following the overthrow of the Taliban regime in 2001; but his conservative Islamic views -- including imposing a ban on the broadcast of female singers -- prompted his departure from that post.

    Mansur, an ethnic Tajik and religious hard-liner, has been among the most vocal critics of Karzai's administration. Mansur has railed against Karzai's refusal to relinquish his position atop the Transitional Administration during the presidential campaign, threatening to join other candidates in a boycott of the election results.

    Rumors that emerged in early September of a possible coalition with candidates Sirat and Mohaqeq in order to place Qanuni in the presidency (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari) included talk that Mansur and Pedram might join that pre-election alliance.

 

Gholam Faruq NEJRABI

Born: 1953 (Hegira 1332) in eastern Kapisa Province

Political Affiliation: candidate of the Afghanistan Independence Party (Hizb-e Istiqlal-e Afghanistan), of which he is also party leader

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Fatah

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Hanan

 

Nejrabi is a pediatrician and surgeon as well as being the head of the Independence Party of Afghanistan.

    Nejrabi has pledged to reject "foreigners' direct or indirect interference" in the country's affairs if he is elected, as well as to "fight all forms of dependency, particularly the modern colonization efforts that our country is facing" (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Dari). While he has stressed good relations with neighboring states, Nejrabi has said young people must be prepared to defend their country and that Afghanistan thus requires a stronger and better-trained national army (Afghanistan Television).

    Nejrabi has fiercely criticized the United Nations, international aid, and nongovernmental organizations, suggesting he would shut their operations down in Afghanistan if he is elected (Radio Kelid). Nejrabi has stressed the need for Afghanistan to "stand on our own two feet," adding that the country's wealth of natural resources and potential for agricultural development could allow it to "become self-sufficient" ("Kabul Bahar").

    He has listed his policy goals as eradicating illegal-drug cultivation and trafficking, curbing administrative corruption, combating terrorism, and increasing employment (Radio Kelid).

    Nejrabi's platform accuses the Transitional Administration of having "lost the trust of the people" and, in a presumed reference to Hamid Karzai, warns that it would be "a mistake to trust it again" (Afghanistan Television). The platform also pledges "fundamental changes in the economic, social, and political spheres" if Nejrabi is elected.

    Nejrabi has credited religious scholars with having been "the primary elements in forging peace in Afghanistan," suggesting that such individuals should continue to encourage freedom and cooperation (Afghanistan Television).

    Nejrabi is one of four candidates who did not join the August call for Karzai to resign his Transitional Administration chairmanship to run in the presidential election.

 

Ahmad Shah AHMADZAI

 

Born: 1944 (Hegira 1323) in Kabul

Political Affiliation: : running as independent, but is a member of the conservative Islamic Call Organization of Afghanistan (Hezb-e Tanzim-e Da'wat-e Islami-ye Afghanistan) led by former mujahedin leader Abdul Rabb al-Rashul Sayyaf. Sayyaf's party until recently was known as Harakat-e Enqelab-e Islami but it has been registered under the new name.

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Obaydullah Obayd

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Manan Oruzgani

 

Ahmadzai served as deputy prime minister in the first mujahedin government after the fall of the communist regime in 1992. He is an ethnic Pashtun, a trained engineer, and a religious conservative.

    Ahmadzai has made the establishment of an Islamic system of government in Afghanistan a central theme in his campaign. He has suggested that "no other system is possible" for the country, since the overwhelming majority of Afghans are Muslims and have sacrificed and resisted outside intervention to safeguard their Islamic ways (Afghanistan Television). Ahmadzai has criticized Islamic governments in other parts of the world for their perceived failure to put Islamic principles into practice.

    Ahmadzai has made the goal of wiping out corruption a central theme of his campaign, claiming it presents a security risk in particular because he says bribes to soldiers and public officials are used to protect criminal elements ("Kabul Cheragh"). Ahmadzai has suggested he is opposed to a continued U.S. presence in the country (Reuters) and also decried "meddling" by Afghanistan's neighbors in its affairs ("Kabul Cheragh").

    Ahmadzai has also vowed to deliver security, a strong central government, and encourage literacy and the further development of religious schools in Afghanistan if elected president (Afghanistan Television).

 

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Wakil MANGAL

 

Born: 1954 (Hegira 1333) in eastern Khost Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mohammad Yunos Moghol

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Dina Gol

 

Mangal is a former high-school teacher who studied zoology at Kabul University and received a master's degree in Moldova ("Kabul Weekly"). He also served on the editorial staffs of two mujahedin periodicals.

    Mangal has suggested his tolerance for a continued international presence in Afghanistan, saying that "international forces, including the Americans, are needed for security." But at the same time, he has also suggested that the Transitional Administration has done too little to establish a national police force. He also blames the central government and international forces for tolerating -- and even cooperating with -- the country's warlords. "The international community and government could get rid of them in few hours if they wanted," Mangal has said ("Kabul Weekly").

    Mangal has publicly shunned ethnic and regional divisiveness, suggesting that he has "relationships with every province and ethnic group" ("Kabul Weekly").

    Mangal has repeatedly accused Karzai and the current government of abusing its position to further Karzai's presidential aspirations, including the alleged use of government facilities and budget funds to court influential officials.

 

Abdul Hadi KHALILZAI

Born: 1974 (Hegira 1353) in Konar Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Khodainur Mandokhel

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Khoda Dat Erfani

 

Khalilzai, an official in the Transitional Administration's Information and Culture Ministry, has criticized the current government for its inability to deliver security, accusing it and the international community of climbing down from commitments made in the 2001 Bonn agreement concerning disarmament. He has charged that those "who destabilize the situation remain in power, and the rule of guns is pervasive" ("Kabul Weekly").

    While welcoming "legal" international aid delivered within the framework of the United Nations, Khalilzai has rejected "assistance and activities aimed at consolidating influence and achieving personal objectives" and suggested that he would hold a referendum on aid from the international community ("Kabul Weekly").

    Khalilzai has vowed to "prepare the ground for foreign investors to invest and build factories in Afghanistan to help boost employment, which he identifies as a major obstacle to stability (Afghanistan Television).

    He is among the four candidates who did not call on Karzai to resign his Transitional Administration chairmanship to run in the presidential election.

 

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Mohammad Ebrahim RASHID

 

Born: 1954 (Hegira 1333) in northeastern Baghlan Province

Political Affiliation: independent

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Sayyed Mohammad Hadi Hadi

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Hamid Taheri

 

Rashid received his higher education in India and speaks Pashto, Dari, German, and Urdu.

 

Mohammad Yunos QANUNI

Born: 1957 (Hegira 1336) in Panjsher Valley (until 2004 part of Parwan Province)

Political Affiliation: National Movement of Afghanistan (Nahzat-e Melli-ye Afghanistan)

Supported By: Revolution Party of Afghanistan's People (Qiam-e Milli); former Defense Minister Mohammad Qasem Fahim; Foreign Minister Abdullah

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Taj Mohammad Wardak

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Sayyed Hosayn Alemi Balkhi

 

Qanuni, an ethnic Tajik from the Panjsher Valley, is widely regarded as a formidable political rival to Hamid Karzai. He is a former United Front (aka Northern Alliance) leader who served as deputy defense minister and then interior minister during the 1992-96 mujahedin government of President Burhannudin Rabbani. He survived an assassination attempt that has since forced him to walk with a cane.

    Qanuni also served under Hamid Karzai as interior minister and then education minister in the post-Taliban Interim and subsequent Transitional administrations, but reportedly elected to seek the presidency after Karzai dropped the powerful ethnic Tajik and former Defense Minister Mohammad Qasem Fahim as a running mate (Reuters). Qanuni gave up his seat as education minister in order to run for president. Transitional Administration Chairman Karzai sparked a minor political furor when he named a replacement for Qanuni despite a clause in the electoral law suggesting that officials who step down to campaign for the presidency may resume their former functions within 20 days of the balloting.

    Qanuni has described his main objective as "establishing a doctrine for a new Afghanistan" stressing the Islamic character of the country (Afghanistan Television). Qanuni said the second most important characteristic of a new Afghanistan is "stability and security," followed by "the independence of Afghanistan." He said that under his presidency, he would adopt a "policy of non-political and non-military affiliation" with other states. Qanuni was not clear on his short-term policy regarding the presence of international military forces in Afghanistan. Qanuni has also focused on Afghanistan's dire economic situation, saying he would try to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

    Rumors of a possible coalition uniting candidates Sirat, Mohaqeq, and Qanuni in order to place Qanuni in the presidency (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran) included talk that Pedram and Mansur might join that pre-election alliance. At least one more recent -- but highly speculative -- report out of Iran suggested that Qanuni was considering abandoning his presidential bid in return for a position under a Karzai presidency.

    Critics have accused Qanuni's campaign of improperly invoking the memory of slain United Front (aka Northern Alliance) commander Ahmad Shah Mas'ud by posting his image next to that of Qanuni. Fellow ethnic Tajiks Foreign Minister Abdullah and former Defense Minister Fahim have backed Qanuni (Reuters). The Revolutionary Party of Afghanistan's People (Qiam-e Melli) has also put its support behind Qanuni ("Hewad").

 

Mas'uda JALAL

 

Born: 1963 (Hegira 1342) in the eastern Kapisa Province (just north of Kabul)

Political Affiliation: independent candidate

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mir Habib Sohaili

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Sayyed Mohammad Alem Amini

 

The only woman among the presidential hopefuls, Jalal is a trained pediatrician. She has an unclear power base, and her greatest strength might lie in the fact that some 40 percent of registered voters are women.

    Jalal has listed among her priorities the elimination of official corruption, the battle against discrimination, and efforts to bolster national unity (Afghanistan Television). Jalal says Afghanistan had a "golden opportunity" to make strides toward ending its persistent suffering with the international community's increased attention and the ouster of the Taliban regime at the end of 2001, but she blames the Transitional Administration for failing to "respond to the expectations of the people and of donor countries" (Afghanistan Television). She has labeled the Transitional Administration "one of the least successful administrations in the history of Afghanistan," citing a lack of transparency, corruption, and nepotism.

    Jalal is one of four candidates who did not join the August call for Karzai to resign his Transitional Administration chairmanship to run in the presidential election, however.

 

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Sayyed Abdul Hadi DABIR

Born: 1962 (Hegira 1341) in the northeastern Takhar Province

Political Affiliation: independent candidate

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Abdul Rashid

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Dad Mohammad Khan

 

Dabir has voiced opposition to the presence of U.S.-led forces in the country, but he has suggested that he supports the presence of international peacekeepers in Afghanistan (Reuters).

    Dabir is a former mujahedin who has leveled harsh criticism at Hamid Karzai's Transitional Administration. His campaign has stressed the courage and bravery that the country has shown in resisting British and Soviet invasion but also suggested that such trials have combined with ethnic and linguistic differences to produce national and even regional isolation (Afghanistan Television). His second running mate, Dad Mohammad Khan, suggested Dabir's administration would ensure respect for Islamic values, apply the Afghan Constitution throughout the country, and foster national unity and stability.

 

Abdul Rashid DOSTUM

Born: 1954 (Hegira 1333) in the northern Sheberghan/Jozjan Province

Political Affiliation: running as an independent but heads the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan (Junbish-e Milli-ye Islami-ye Afghanistan) party

Supported By: NA

First Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Shafiqa Habibi

Second Vice-Presidential Running Mate: Mostafa Kamal Makhdum

 

A powerful northern warlord and a controversial security adviser to Transitional Administration Chairman Karzai, Dostum continues to wield major influence in some northern provinces and chafe at central authority out of Kabul.

    Dostum has campaigned on pledges to boost national sovereignty, implement disarmament, battle security threats, and fight the illegal drug trade. He has voiced support for the international and ISAF missions in Afghanistan to foster stability and security. In domestic policy, he has vowed to increase the representative nature of government, enact administrative reform, and improve tax collection.

    Dostum's campaign has in many ways focused on the hardships facing the average Afghan. His first vice-presidential running mate, Shafiqa Habibi, vowed that a Dostum presidency would target poverty and joblessness as priorities. Elements of xenophobia have crept into the Dostum effort as well, with Habibi decrying the existence of "thousands of foreign workers" as Afghans remain unemployed (Afghan Television). Habibi also identified the water and power infrastructures as priorities for the future government, in addition to national unity.

    The Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) had received more than 50 complaints or legal challenges to Dostum's candidacy by early August based on accusations of criminal or other misconduct that included alleged violent crimes, according to JEMB Chairman Zakem Shah (Reuters). Dostum has been the subject of a UN investigation of suspected human rights abuses, and some have alleged his participation in war crimes.

    An ethnic Uzbek, Dostum has forged many short-lived alliances during his two-decade career as a militia leader. Dostum was a laborer who rose to become a union boss in the oil and gas sector, including a trip to the Soviet Union for training in 1980 (Adamec, p. 86). But soon he had gathered tens of thousands of men to form the largely ethnic Uzbek "Dostum Militia," which he commanded to back the communist government in Kabul and repel U.S.- and Pakistani-backed mujahedin forces in the 1980s. Dostum was also on the executive council of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan.

    Dostum then turned against communist President Najibullah toward the end of the latter's rule in 1992 -- three years after the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was in this period that Dostum and other mainly Uzbek military officers formed the National Islamic Movement (Junbesh-e Milli Islami) party, based in Mazar-e Sharif. Dostum soon allied himself with mujahedin commander Ahmad Shah Mas'ud. Dostum's forces fought with Mas'ud's men to capture Kabul, allowing Dostum to join briefly President Burhanuddin Rabbani's mujahedin government.

    After he perceived as a snub President Rabbani's failure to offer him a cabinet seat, Dostum's forces joined briefly with Islamist leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to lay siege to the mujahedin government in Kabul.

    The Taliban's ascension proved too powerful for Dostum, however, thanks in part to his onetime "foreign minister" and later rival, Abdul Malik. Dostum was ousted from his Mazar-e Sharif stronghold and his surrounding mini-state in 1997, and eventually forced to flee to Uzbekistan, Iran, then Turkey.

    Dostum reappeared to back the U.S.-led attacks to oust the Taliban regime in 2001, returning to the area to reclaim control of large swathes of northern Afghanistan.

    Dostum's National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan controlled a number of northern provinces before the Taliban came to power -- including most of the Balkh, Faryab, Jowzjan, and Samangan provinces -- and this is where his power base lies. Since his appointment as a special envoy and military official by Chairman Karzai's administration, Dostum has sought to reestablish control over a swathe of northern Afghanistan that includes roughly 5 million people. His rule in the region has been generally regarded as socially liberal but brutal in its treatment of opposition. His loyalists have engaged in numerous clashes in the past year with a longtime military rival, ethnic Tajik and former mujahedin commander Balkh Province Governor Ata Mohammad Nuri.

 

And a bonus question:

 

will Karzai win enough votes to prevent a runoff election?

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

 

Born: 1974

 

yeah.. riiiiiiiiight

[Justice 0]

 

Born: 1974

 

yeah.. riiiiiiiiight

Yeah, seriously.

 

He doesn't look a day over 25.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

only two of the male candidates are clean shaven. The 13 bearded candidates will split the important "bearded" demographic. Which makes up 97% of Afghani male voters

 

there's one article that says the female vote will be influenced by the male relatives. So tough luck for you Jalal!

[tommytomlin 0]

NEJRABI/FATA 04!!!

[Zorin Industries 0]

Pedrams my man

[Slayer 0]

I like the bearded one

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

All the way with Khalilzai!

 

or not.. idk

[Guest MikeSC]

They have a woman running?

 

What if she menstruates all over some legislation?

-=Mike

[Zorin Industries 0]

Hey, who else voted for Pedram?

[CBright7831 0]

I'm going with the one that has a beard.

[Murmuring Beast 0]

Bin Laden?

[The Mandarin 0]

I just put on a Quanuni/Wardak bumper sticker today.

[Guest GreatOne]

 

Born: 1974

 

yeah.. riiiiiiiiight

Yeah, seriously.

 

He doesn't look a day over 25.

Hey he doesn't look A day over 25 anyway..................

[2GOLD 0]

I vote for Ben Kingsley

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

I pick the guy with the beard. (shit, that joke has been Rodney King'ed to death)

 

OK, I'll pick the Jew...

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Will the deadly ink factor in to this?

[cbacon 0]

And already the controversy ensues:

 

Afghan vote ends in controversy

A voter in Kandahar awaits her turn to cast her ballot

Afghanistan's first-ever presidential election has passed off peacefully, but ended in controversy as opposition candidates called for a boycott.

 

The move followed claims of voting irregularities.

 

Interim President Hamid Karzai - who is expected to win - said the result should be respected and praised Afghans for participating "massively".

 

He urged everyone to await the verdict on the voting process by the joint UN-Afghan Election Commission.

 

The dispute centres on the supposedly indelible ink that had been dabbed on to voters' thumbs to show they voted. Many voters were able to wipe the ink off.

 

 

I don't trust these elections - I voted an hour ago but, as you can see, there is no trace of the ink on my fingers

Khwaja Malang

Tajik voter from Panjshir

 

Despite the wrangling among the candidates, BBC correspondents around Afghanistan have reported great levels of enthusiasm among ordinary people for the democratic process.

 

Mr Karzai - who has led the country since the fall of the hard-line Islamic Taleban in 2001 - bluntly dismissed the candidates' complaints.

 

"Who is more important, these 15 candidates or the millions of people who turned out today to vote?" he asked journalists in Kabul.

 

'Safe and orderly'

 

Mr Karzai said all the candidates "should respect our people, because in the dust and snow and rain, they waited for hours and hours to vote".

 

There were queues before polling stations opened in Kabul

Earlier a senior United Nations official helping supervise the vote said that "overall it has been safe and orderly".

 

"The vote will continue because halting the vote at this stage is unjustified and would deny these people their right to vote," Ray Kennedy said.

 

Security was the leading concern in the run-up to the election, with up to 100,000 Afghan and international security personnel on high alert.

 

Taleban militants had threatened to disrupt the poll.

 

Fifteen of the 18 candidates signed up to the boycott.

 

The Associated Press reported the only woman candidate, Masooda Jalal, as saying: "The ink that is being used can be rubbed off in a minute. Voters can vote 10 times."

 

The extent of potential fraud remains to be seen, but correspondents say the row has provided a convenient rallying point for a previously disunited opposition.

 

'Optimistic'

 

President Karzai is widely tipped to win, although Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Tajik former education minister Yunus Qanuni have fought high-profile campaigns.

 

The first vote was cast by an Afghan refugee in neighbouring Pakistan, where voting opened slightly earlier.

 

"I am very happy," said 19-year-old Moqadasa Sidiqi, after she voted in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

 

Voting was extended in some areas to cope with demand.

 

The sealed ballot boxes are now due to be transported to eight regional counting centres.

 

Initial results are expected in the coming days but it may take a couple of weeks for all the votes to be counted.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3729968.stm

[Guest Shoes Head]

OK, I'll pick the Jew...

Ironically they're all jewish. Afghanis, for the most part, have migrated Israelites in their lineage.

[Styles 0]

OK, I'll pick the Jew...

Ironically they're all jewish. Afghanis, for the most part, have migrated Israelites in their lineage.

No...they're Muslim, actually. That's their religion. Thanks for playing.

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

Congratulations to our second place finisher, Mr. Yonous Qanooni

 

Here are the results, so far

 

Karzai - 55%

Qanooni - 17%

Mohaqiq - 11%

Dostum - 11%

Pedram - 1%

Jalal - 1%

Gilani - 1%

Ahmadazi - 1%

Serat, Nijrabi, Asifi, Dabir, Mansoor, Khalilzai, Nedaee, Rashid, Mangal, Aryan - 0% (between 7,000 and 26,000 votes)

 

and here's a map:

 

[2GOLD 0]

Wow, Ben Kingsley cleaned up!

[Justice 0]

And already the controversy ensues:

Sadly, they haven't found any actual PROOF of election fraud. When that happens, call me. Otherwise, it's just people whining because they didn't win the election.

 

Seriously, when did all the political parties in the world turn into such bitches? God help us if we can't have an election that calls for a special recount somewhere...

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

having margins of 91 to 4 in a few provinces is suspicious.

 

But then again, would it matter anyways? probably not

[Guest MikeSC]

having margins of 91 to 4 in a few provinces is suspicious.

 

But then again, would it matter anyways? probably not

Gee, because massive landslides in individual precincts NEVER happen in real elections.

 

Man, the left will do anything to kill off electoral systems if the results aren't what they want.

-=Mike

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

having margins of 91 to 4 in a few provinces is suspicious.

 

But then again, would it matter anyways? probably not

Gee, because massive landslides in individual precincts NEVER happen in real elections.

 

Man, the left will do anything to kill off electoral systems if the results aren't what they want.

-=Mike

I'd say that the possibility for fraud existed. But, I don't think there's any real proof of fraud.

 

Then again, if any state proved that a candidate can win with 98% of the vote, it's South Carolina.

 

Actually, Karzai's 95 to 1 margins are either signs of extreme popularity or some fraud.

 

Fraud may be a strong term, since it sugggests Karzai could have lost this election. Which is unlikely.

 

But for a first election. I think it went well. Hopefully they'll build on this election with a second and third and more successful elections.

[Guest MikeSC]

having margins of 91 to 4 in a few provinces is suspicious.

 

But then again, would it matter anyways? probably not

Gee, because massive landslides in individual precincts NEVER happen in real elections.

 

Man, the left will do anything to kill off electoral systems if the results aren't what they want.

-=Mike

I'd say that the possibility for fraud existed. But, I don't think there's any real proof of fraud.

 

Then again, if any state proved that a candidate can win with 98% of the vote, it's South Carolina.

 

Actually, Karzai's 95 to 1 margins are either signs of extreme popularity or some fraud.

 

Fraud may be a strong term, since it sugggests Karzai could have lost this election. Which is unlikely.

 

But for a first election. I think it went well. Hopefully they'll build on this election with a second and third and more successful elections.

So, Gore winning the black vote 93-3? Total fraud?

-=Mike

...REPUBLICAN blacks were disenfranchised? WOW!!!!

[Rob E Dangerously 0]

So, Gore winning the black vote 93-3? Total fraud?

You are the one championing the efforts of the "Challengers" in Ohio. Who will go to inner city precincts.

 

Then again. Karzai's obvious stronghold was where he won 90% of the vote.

 

(and the number was 90-9, according to 2000 exit polls)