Noticias

The Ahmad Shah Massoud Foundation endorsed front-running presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah in Kabul on Monday.

Speaking at the event was head of the Massoud Foundation, Ahmad Wali Massoud, who said that the foundation will work with Dr. Abdullah and his team to improve the situation of Afghanistan.

“We will work together to advance the situation of Afghanistan; we will try together,” Massoud said.

Dr. Abdullah took the stage after the announcement and asked that the people vote on Saturday to strive for democracy in Afghanistan. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday rejected Afghan claims it was linked to an attack on presidential front-runner Abdullah Abdullah last week that left 12 people dead ahead of an election run-off.

The denial came a day after Kabul accused “foreign intelligence services” — a thinly veiled reference to Islamabad — of being behind the two blasts, including a suicide bombing.

“We firmly reject any insinuation of Pakistan’s involvement in the attack,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Tasnim Aslam said in a statement.

Security preparations for the presidential runoff have been tightened in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and other cities throughout the country.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has committed to use all its capabilities to provide a secure runoff, but stressed that the public’s cooperation with the security forces will create for a secure election process.

MoI’s Spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the ministry has sent more security forces to the eastern parts of the country and across the Durand Line.

Naeem Asghari, program manager for Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) said that if the Independent Election Commission (IEC) does not hire more females for the female polling sites it would be better off for those sites to be closed.

A number of major Afghan political figures and groups announced their endorsements of presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Wednesday. Former campaign members of Abdul Qayoum Karzai, the Harakat Inqelab Islami Party and the Musharekat Millie Party were among those who declared support for Dr. Ghani.

The Ministry of Women's Affairs (MoWA) on Thursday asked for wide participation of women on the June 14 runoff.

The Minister of Women's Affairs Husn Banu Ghazanfar stated that the 36 percent turnout of women from the first round should increase to 50 percent in the runoff, emphasizing that women should mark their future with their own hands.

“We want a 50 percent turnout of women in the runoff elections,” Husn Bano Ghazanfar said. "For this purpose, we have launched campaigns and asked the district chiefs and governors of 34 provinces to persuade women to vote."

Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on Tuesday traveled to Balkh for one of the last stops on the campaign trail before the June 14 runoff election. He told local supporters his priority in office would be the restoration of lasting peace and security and rule of law in Afghanistan. 
 
Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank economist, also focused a great deal of time on his bread-and-butter subject - the national economy. He promised practical, localized programs that would bring dramatic changes to everyday lives.

The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), one of Afghanistan’s largest election monitoring organizations, has accused the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) of negligence in its investigations of electoral fraud during the first round of this year’s presidential election.

Presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai met with residents of northern Jowzjan province on Monday. He promised to exploit the province’s natural gas resources and provide power for the entire country.

The trip to Jowzjan comes toward the end of the second round campaigning period, as Ashraf Ghani and his rival, Abdullah Abdullah, prepare for the June 14 runoff election that will determine which of them will succeed two-term President Hamid Karzai.