Afghans Put Off Parliamentary Elections Again, Citing Logistics
March 17, 2005
Afghans Put Off Parliamentary Elections Again, Citing Logistics
By JOEL BRINKLEY and CARLOTTA GALL
KABUL, March 17 - Afghanistan postponed its parliamentary elections once again today, moving the date from May to September.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the announcement, apparently inadvertently, during a news conference with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.
"Oh, did I make news?" Ms. Rice asked with a smile after mentioning the September date in opening remarks. Moments later, President Karzai confirmed the changed date and blamed slower than expected election preparations. It was the third postponement of parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for last June.
Ms. Rice was here for a seven-hour, on-message visit during which she emphasized Afghanistan's transition to democracy at almost every stop with little if any acknowledgment of the many problems besetting this troubled and impoverished nation.
As if to punctuate that disconnect, at least 5 people were killed and 32 more were wounded today in a bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar that Afghan officials blamed on Taliban fighters. The attack was the worst here in seven months. The insurgency by Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the last 18 months.
Ms. Rice's schedule, in addition to meetings with American Embassy officials and Afghan government leaders, included a roundtable discussion with women the State Department described as "new democracy leaders," and another discussion with political party leaders that included members of the state elections commission, who told her of the elections delay.
This was Ms. Rice's first visit to Afghanistan, and she said it was "thrilling," adding that Afghanistan's "commitment to the democratic enterprise is inspiring."
"There could be no better story," she said, than Afghanistan's "democratic development."
Bush administration officials often hold Afghanistan up as their hallmark accomplishment in President Bush's drive to bring democracy to nations lacking it.
She did not mention Afghanistan's drug problem until asked. Earlier this month, her own department issued a report that said burgeoning opium poppy cultivation placed Afghanistan "on the verge of becoming a narcotics state."
Ms. Rice called the opium poppy cultivation "a very serious problem," but also noted "a serious commitment to fight it."
Asked about the election postponement, Ms. Rice said that "the Afghan people have demonstrated a commitment to democracy." In an interview with ABC News later, she said she had urged President Karzai not to permit any more delays.
During the news conference, Mr. Karzai said "the elections will be held in September; the Afghan people are awaiting very eagerly to send representatives to Parliament."
The postponement is another hitch in Afghanistan's slow political process, but it will allow more time for disarmament, improvement in security and voter education, elections officials said.
"It was impossible to have it in May, as we wanted it," Mr. Karzai explained. "It's a technical matter."
The delay was widely expected, as the Afghan government has failed to make necessary decisions on time, particularly on the type of electoral system and on delineating district boundaries, which need to be announced 120 days ahead of the vote. Mr. Karzai also said other issues, including whether refugees should take part in elections and the lack of a census to provide accurate population figures, had also caused delays.
The government and its international backers have also argued for a delay to allow for more time to disarm irregular militias and reduce the influence of the so-called jihadi, or Islamic militant, parties and of powerful regional commanders. International peacekeepers from the 5,000-strong, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ruled out elections in July or August, when there will be a change of command.
Parliamentary elections were originally planned for June 2004 along with presidential elections, under a United Nations-sponsored schedule. But both elections were delayed because of insecurity and the failure to disarm militias. Presidential elections were finally held last October, and the more complicated parliamentary and district elections were put off again until the Afghan month of Saur, which runs from April 21 to May 21.
This third delay did not please President Karzai's main political opponents, who are likely to form a large opposition block in the next Parliament. The former education minister, Muhammad Yunus Qanooni, who finished second to Mr. Karzai in the race, criticized the delay as a "political game" by the government, adding that it would increase the opportunities for fraud and other irregularities.
A spokesman for Muhammad Mohaqeq, another political rival, said he would accept some technical delays but had called for elections in July, since the autumn weather could interfere with voting. Another six months without a Parliament will only increase the illegitimacy of President Karzai's government, he added.
A group of fledgling democratic parties that met with Dr. Rice in Kabul have generally accepted the September date as a reasonable compromise. Some have called for more time to ensure disarmament of militias and improvements in security.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/international/middleeast/17cnd-rice.html?oref=login
Afghans Put Off Parliamentary Elections Again, Citing Logistics
By JOEL BRINKLEY and CARLOTTA GALL
KABUL, March 17 - Afghanistan postponed its parliamentary elections once again today, moving the date from May to September.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the announcement, apparently inadvertently, during a news conference with the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai.
"Oh, did I make news?" Ms. Rice asked with a smile after mentioning the September date in opening remarks. Moments later, President Karzai confirmed the changed date and blamed slower than expected election preparations. It was the third postponement of parliamentary elections, originally scheduled for last June.
Ms. Rice was here for a seven-hour, on-message visit during which she emphasized Afghanistan's transition to democracy at almost every stop with little if any acknowledgment of the many problems besetting this troubled and impoverished nation.
As if to punctuate that disconnect, at least 5 people were killed and 32 more were wounded today in a bombing in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar that Afghan officials blamed on Taliban fighters. The attack was the worst here in seven months. The insurgency by Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters has claimed more than 1,000 lives in the last 18 months.
Ms. Rice's schedule, in addition to meetings with American Embassy officials and Afghan government leaders, included a roundtable discussion with women the State Department described as "new democracy leaders," and another discussion with political party leaders that included members of the state elections commission, who told her of the elections delay.
This was Ms. Rice's first visit to Afghanistan, and she said it was "thrilling," adding that Afghanistan's "commitment to the democratic enterprise is inspiring."
"There could be no better story," she said, than Afghanistan's "democratic development."
Bush administration officials often hold Afghanistan up as their hallmark accomplishment in President Bush's drive to bring democracy to nations lacking it.
She did not mention Afghanistan's drug problem until asked. Earlier this month, her own department issued a report that said burgeoning opium poppy cultivation placed Afghanistan "on the verge of becoming a narcotics state."
Ms. Rice called the opium poppy cultivation "a very serious problem," but also noted "a serious commitment to fight it."
Asked about the election postponement, Ms. Rice said that "the Afghan people have demonstrated a commitment to democracy." In an interview with ABC News later, she said she had urged President Karzai not to permit any more delays.
During the news conference, Mr. Karzai said "the elections will be held in September; the Afghan people are awaiting very eagerly to send representatives to Parliament."
The postponement is another hitch in Afghanistan's slow political process, but it will allow more time for disarmament, improvement in security and voter education, elections officials said.
"It was impossible to have it in May, as we wanted it," Mr. Karzai explained. "It's a technical matter."
The delay was widely expected, as the Afghan government has failed to make necessary decisions on time, particularly on the type of electoral system and on delineating district boundaries, which need to be announced 120 days ahead of the vote. Mr. Karzai also said other issues, including whether refugees should take part in elections and the lack of a census to provide accurate population figures, had also caused delays.
The government and its international backers have also argued for a delay to allow for more time to disarm irregular militias and reduce the influence of the so-called jihadi, or Islamic militant, parties and of powerful regional commanders. International peacekeepers from the 5,000-strong, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force ruled out elections in July or August, when there will be a change of command.
Parliamentary elections were originally planned for June 2004 along with presidential elections, under a United Nations-sponsored schedule. But both elections were delayed because of insecurity and the failure to disarm militias. Presidential elections were finally held last October, and the more complicated parliamentary and district elections were put off again until the Afghan month of Saur, which runs from April 21 to May 21.
This third delay did not please President Karzai's main political opponents, who are likely to form a large opposition block in the next Parliament. The former education minister, Muhammad Yunus Qanooni, who finished second to Mr. Karzai in the race, criticized the delay as a "political game" by the government, adding that it would increase the opportunities for fraud and other irregularities.
A spokesman for Muhammad Mohaqeq, another political rival, said he would accept some technical delays but had called for elections in July, since the autumn weather could interfere with voting. Another six months without a Parliament will only increase the illegitimacy of President Karzai's government, he added.
A group of fledgling democratic parties that met with Dr. Rice in Kabul have generally accepted the September date as a reasonable compromise. Some have called for more time to ensure disarmament of militias and improvements in security.
Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/international/middleeast/17cnd-rice.html?oref=login
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