Dr Abdullah Abdullah, the former foreign minister of Afghanistan and a medical doctor is one of Karzai’s strongest challengers. He was the one who appealed to the world post-9/11 to help rid his country of the Taliban. Abdullah’s running strongly, as he has a clean, articulate image and his United Front is attempting to be inclusive. So while one of his vice-presidential candidates is from the south, a Pashtun, the other is a Hazara from the west. Another strong contender is former university chancellor, finance minister and World Bank executive Ashraf Ghani. Karzai, however, is strong with Pakistan-returned Pashtuns, who say that the good part about him is that he is “not a killer”.

In the past, Afghans have voted on the lines of their communities. But in this election the lines are blurred as each party tries to get its vice-presidential candidate from another group. As for issues, there’s really just one: most Afghans say they are going to vote for a leader who can help them get rid of foreign troops from Afghan soil. If any leader could credibly promise them that, it would be a clincher.

This is for the second time that the people of Afghanistan will participate in an election. This election is yet another test to see whether the world’s efforts to install true democracy in war-torn Afghanistan will be a success or not. It will be an effort to steer the country clear from violence, fundamentalism and from being a fighting ground of warlords and a safe haven for al-Qaeda fighters. But it has to work even given Afghans’ suspicions about the U.S. The only option is to ensure that choice is visibly seen to be in the hands of the Afghans. What the international community needs to do is to make sure the election is free and fair.

... contd.