The Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA) announced Tuesday that it has recruited 13,000 Afghan women to help in security procedures at polling centers across Afghanistan on election day, responding to concerns that female voters would have to be searched by male security guards before entering the polls.
The proper implementation of Islamic law in Afghanistan will lead to lasting peace, presidential candidate Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf said on Monday at an event where he received endorsements from a number of religious scholars.
The Ulema members who expressed support for Sayyaf on Monday said that there was a dire need for greater promotion of and adherence to Islamic laws in order to resolve corruption and insecurity issues.
The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC) on Tuesday discussed efforts to increase the election observers to at leas 300,000 and emphasized the role of election observers in ensuring the legitimacy and credibility of the elections.
“Fortunately, 58474 people have so far registered their names with the election commission and have achieved certificates to monitor the elections,” IEC Commissioner Sarir Ahmad Barmak said.
KABUL (Pajhwok): A senior member of the Hezb-i-IslamiAfghanistan (HIA) on Monday warned of withdrawing support to presidential runner Qutbuddin Hilal if he pulled out of the race in favour of another candidate.
Eng. Mohammad Amin Karim, a France-based HIA member, made clear the party had extended conditional support for Hilal’s candidacy.
KABUL (Pajhwok): Former defence minister Abdul Rahim Wardak on Sunday announced pulling out of the presidential election slated for April 5.
Addressing a news conference in Kabul, Wardak acknowledged his election campaign had been lackluster right from the word go.
The ex-minister thanked his choices for first and second vice-presidents, saying that his decision was not in favour of any specific contender.
Without giving any reason for his withdrawal from the contest, Wardak hoped the elections would be held on schedule in a free and transparent manner.
Women make up close to half of the Afghan population, and despite issues in past elections, many of them seem determined to leave their mark on the upcoming presidential and provincial council elections.
KABUL (Pajhwok): President Hamid Karzai, warning against foreign interference in the April elections, on Saturday made clear that Afghanistan would never bow to the whims of outsiders.
In his last address to the joint session of parliament that entered the fourth year of its constitutional five-year term, he reaffirmed his resolve to conduct transparent and free presidential and provincial elections.
Despite provincial council campaigns having started 10 days ago, the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has still not completed its review of candidates' qualifications. Many candidates who have been disqualified since the start of the campaign period have openly aired criticisms of the ECC.
"The weakness is in the Election Complaints Commission," recently disqualified provincial council candidate Said Naeem Kashfi said. "This Commission has been recently established and still does not have an office in provinces like Maidan Wardak and others."
With presidential campaigns entering their final stretch just weeks before the April vote, violent attacks on campaign workers have increased, especially on Abdullah Abdullah's team.
Abdullah's campaign has reported nine of targeted attacks since the start of the campaign season in February, far more than any of the other candidates.
Second Vice President Muhammad Karim Khalili spoke of the government's commitment to holding transparent and just elections in April at a gathering on Friday.
The gathering was held to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the death of Ali Mazari, a Jihadi leader who was killed by the Taliban. However, most of the speeches at the event, like Kahilili's, were related to the upcoming elections, which are expected to be pivotal in determining the future of the country as the NATO combat mission comes to an end after 13 years of war.
Election monitoring is thought to be an essential part of the upcoming elections, one that civil society groups and political parties have been especially adament about. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Friday asked all Afghan and foreign groups wishing to observe the voting process to register as soon as possible.
JALALABAD (Pajhwok): Militants laced with hand grenades attacked campaign offices of three election candidates in eastern Laghman province, comprehensively damaging the buildings, an official said Friday.
The campaign offices belonging to provincial council runners were attacked in Chaharbagh bazaar of Qarghai district, the governor’s spokesman, Sarhadi Zwak, told Pajhwok Afghan News
There were no casualties, but the blasts comprehensively damaged the offices belonging to Qari Mir Hathim Tarakhel, Abdullah and Yusuf Malakzai, he added.
FAIZABAD (Pajhwok): Election officials said on Wednesday they would request the Afghan Air Force (AAF) for airlifting election materials to 70 polling stations in case of road blockades in northeastern Badakhshan province.
They said the materials would be flown to 11 districts if roads there were closed due to bad weather or insecurity.
KABUL (Pajhwok): President Hamid Karzai on Tuesday called late Vice-President Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim as a man of principles and a good partner of him on important national interest issues.
After presiding over the state funeral service for the late VP, Karzai said his longtime and all-weather friend had departed forever. He called Fahim a brother, who spent his entire life in the service of his country.
Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, vice-president of Afghanistan, was laid to rest on Tuesday with military honors in a special memorial ceremony attended by high-ranking government officials and politicians, after dying of a heart attack on Sunday.
Abdul Rab Rassoul Sayyaf, a candidate for the presidency in the upcoming April elections led a prayer ceremony at the presidential palace and President Hamid Karzai said in a speech that Fahim was devoted to Afghanistan.
Although Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, President Hamid Karzai's First Vice President had a crucial role on elections and was supporting a particular team, he never announced his support for a particular candidate, Fahim's allies said on Tuesday.
The allies added that Fahim always persuaded Karzai to work on the formation of a national government and claim that Karzai persistently delayed his call.
Marshal Fahim, who was the former commander of the Northern Alliance and Tajik leader from Panjshir, died of a heart attack in his Kabul home on Sunday.
KABUL (Pajhwok): With less than one month to go until the April 5 elections, the Taliban on Monday renewed their threat to disrupt what they called “the latest plot of invaders” by attacking everyone associated with the electoral process.
In a statement issued to Pajhwok, the militant outfit said foreigners led by the United States wanted to install a new puppet government under the pretext of so-called elections in Afghanistan.
El vicepresidente de Afganistán y antiguo señor de la guerra,Mohammad Qasim Fahim, ha fallecido en la mañana de este domingo en su domicilio de Kabul a consecuencia de un ataque al corazón, según informó un portavoz de la Presidencia afgana a la cadena nacional Tolo News.
La salud de Fahim, aquejado de diabetes, se había deteriorado durante los últimos tres días, de acuerdo con estas fuentes. El Gobierno ha decretado tres días de luto nacional y que las banderas afganas de las instituciones ondeen a media asta durante ese período.
KABUL (Pajhwok): President Hamid Karzai on Saturday called on the nation, especially women, to actively participate in the landmark elections due on April 5 to prove the value of their vote.
Addressing a gathering marking International Women’s Day in Kabul, the president said: “You hear on the world’s media about the upcoming elections that it is uncertain what’s going to be happen --- good or bad elections. But I say there will be good elections and all people will exercise their right to vote.”
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