This election is coming up soon. There is now a few days for candidates to file in their registrations.
Hamid Karzai gets clear road to re-election as challengers fall by wayside
Hamid Karzai gets clear road to re-election as challengers fall by wayside
4 May [Times] President Karzai's re-election campaign in Afghanistan appears almost unassailable amid opposition disarray and with less than a week to go for candidates to register for the battle.
The Afghan President's likely re-election in the August poll follows increasing Western criticism of the corruption and incompetence of his government and despite polling data seen by The Times suggesting that he enjoyed only 15 per cent of popular support at the start of the year.
The US and Britain have been vocal in their scepticism that Mr Karzai can rebuild his war-torn nation. ...
The remarks, and others by US officials and the regional special envoy Richard Holbrooke, were seen widely as signalling a US move to find an alternative to Mr Karzai.
However, that possibility now appears remote and with five days until declarations for presidential candidates end, about 64 people have applied for application papers but only two have so far submitted them. Mr Karzai is expected to register his candidacy today.
A number of potential challengers for the presidency said at the weekend that they would not challenge Mr Karzai's re-election attempt after months of manoeuvring and backroom dealing. ...
Amid the high-level manoeuvring there are concerns about the ability of the Afghan Government and its Western backers to mount credible elections. “The West is bent on having these elections but I think they will not be democratic,” Hamidullah Tarzi, a former minister, said.
The Afghan President's likely re-election in the August poll follows increasing Western criticism of the corruption and incompetence of his government and despite polling data seen by The Times suggesting that he enjoyed only 15 per cent of popular support at the start of the year.
The US and Britain have been vocal in their scepticism that Mr Karzai can rebuild his war-torn nation. ...
The remarks, and others by US officials and the regional special envoy Richard Holbrooke, were seen widely as signalling a US move to find an alternative to Mr Karzai.
However, that possibility now appears remote and with five days until declarations for presidential candidates end, about 64 people have applied for application papers but only two have so far submitted them. Mr Karzai is expected to register his candidacy today.
A number of potential challengers for the presidency said at the weekend that they would not challenge Mr Karzai's re-election attempt after months of manoeuvring and backroom dealing. ...
Amid the high-level manoeuvring there are concerns about the ability of the Afghan Government and its Western backers to mount credible elections. “The West is bent on having these elections but I think they will not be democratic,” Hamidullah Tarzi, a former minister, said.
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