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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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Afghan vote signals warnings for parliamentary polls ahead KABUL,(AFP) Afghanistan's presidential election, which was dogged by logistical problems and fraud charges, bodes ill for next year's more complex parliamentary vote in which regional warlords will struggle for power, international observers say. After a pause Friday for the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, vote counting is set to resume on Saturday with just one percent of ballots tallied - a week after the country voted to choose its leader at a cost of about 100 million dollars. Among the complaints were that the indelible ink to mark voters' fingers in the election rubbed off and that polling station staff were insufficiently trained, with some candidates questioning the whole legitimacy of Saturday's poll. Fourteen out of the poll's 18 candidates called a boycott of the election, alleging it was rigged to ensure interim President Hamid Karzai wins, although they backed down after the last minute appointment of an international panel of experts to investigate fraud allegations. "It's very important that the international community does not become complacent and cry victory," said John Sifton of US-based Human Rights Watch. Sifton said the parliamentary elections set for April 2005 would be even more crucial for developing democracy in the war-torn country. In the parliamentary election, 250 regional deputies should be elected to a lower house, and more to provincial and district councils - a huge organisational task that will throw up unprecedented political challenges. Afghanistan's constitution calls for parliament to be set up to counterbalance the role of the president and in order to stave off calls the president has absolute power, it needs to be set up quickly. |
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