Afghan Candidate Calls it Quits

Abdullah Abdullah, candidate for the presidency of Afghanistan, dropped out of the race last Sunday, conceding victory to his opponent Hamid Karzai. This autumn election is essentially a redo of the first that occurred in August, one that was heavily bogged down by deceit—over a million fraudulent votes cast for Karzai were thrown out—and which was deemed to be invalid with a run-off scheduled for Tuesday November 7th.

Abdullah made it plain that he felt that the coming vote would be as fraudulent as the first, stating that “[he] hoped there would be a better process.” In a move that certainly helps to ease tension in the area, he also called upon all Afghans to participate in the one-man election and avoid protesting or boycotts.

Despite the gracious manner and implied accusations of fraud coming from Mr. Abdullah, David Axelrod, a senior advisor to President Obama, said that according to polls “[Abdullah] was likely to be defeated anyway.” This statement coincides with the Obama Administration’s decision to accept Karzai’s victory and to work with him as the new president. In an area that has obviously been a point of political contention here in the U.S. the Obama Administration is hoping to return stability to the Afghan political scene by supporting a singular, genuinely elected candidate.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai (right) meets with Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld (foreground) in the Pentagon on May 23, 2005. Afghan National Security Advisor Dr. Zalmay Rassoul (left) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Abdullah joined Karzai for the talks with Rumsfeld and other senior DoD officials.

Unfortunately, the validity of even this election remains questionable, as thousands of Afghans are frightened into staying away from poll booths in the face of violent threats from the Taliban. For the time being however, Tuesday’s election may be the best that Afghanistan will receive before serious reform is undertaken to stabilize the area.

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