Karzai Can 'Only Win With Fraud:' Afghan Rivals

[tekisui]

Source: The Gazette(Canada)

KABUL -- Many Afghan presidential candidates do not regard the Taliban as the greatest threat to their precarious democracy or to presidential elections slated for August 20.

Despite elaborate electoral machinery and strong foreign oversight, the candidates and many of their countrymen have become convinced that next month's election will be heavily rigged in favour of President Hamid Karzai.

"I do not think that I can be convinced that this election is open, free and fair," said Mohammad Sarwar Ahmadazi, a U.S.-educated lawyer who is one of 40 candidates challenging the incumbent.

"I was at the state department in Washington two weeks ago and nobody there could give me assurances that they are able to check whether the vote will be fair. Tribal chiefs are going to tick the boxes where they want. Money will pay a big role."

Harping of the same theme, Habib Mangal, a German-educated scientist who, like all the other presidential challengers, is considered a longshot, said "there are a lot of concerns about fairness and fake votes. There are rumours of people with two voting cards, especial Shias. Another concern is in a lot of regions ladies are not allowed to go out and vote so people can take their votes in the night."

Sanjar Sohail, publisher of the daily newspaper Hasht-e-Sobh was more blunt. "For Afghans there is only one cabinet minister and it is Karzai. Whatever gets done, they think it is him. With the country still in such a disastrous mess he is hugely unpopular. He can only win with fraud."

Several candidates suggested that as many as several million of the nearly 15-million voters registered last month may be fraudulent.

more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Karzai+only+with+fraud+Afghan+rivals/1830846/story.html

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So, we escalated the war to protect rigged elections. This should work out great.