Security concerns delay Afghan presidential vote
Last Updated: Thursday, January 29, 2009 | 7:12 AM ET
CBC News
Afghanistan will delay holding presidential elections until Aug. 20 to give international forces more time to beef up security in the country, the head of the election commission said Thursday.
President Hamid Karzai's five-year term officially ends on May 22, but officials have said they will make provisions for interim leadership until the vote takes place.
Karzai has hinted he will run again, but his popularity has decreased as violence in the country drags on.
Several Afghan politicians have said they will run against Karzai.
Afghanistan's constitution states the election must take place in late April, before the incumbent president's term expires, but Independent Election Commission president Azizullah Lodin said the security situation is not strong enough.
He said the commission had agreed to wait for additional international forces, who will arrive in the coming months, because their presence would improve security during the vote.
"Without security there can be no election," Lodin said.
'Sufficient time'
NATO spokesman James Appathurai said the alliance is pleased with the decision.
"The date chosen will give us as NATO sufficient time to properly prepare to support the Afghan government in ensuring enough security for the elections to go forward," he said.
Without a security boost, Lodin said the country would not have enough time to declare candidates, print ballots and distribute them nationwide for an April election. It would be nearly impossible to distribute ballots in Afghanistan's mountainous regions during winter and early spring because of the extreme weather conditions, officials have said.
In addition, the electoral commission is still far short of the $272 million required to hold the presidential and provincial council votes, Lodin said.
U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said earlier this week that Washington is considering sending roughly 10,000 more soldiers by late summer, while NATO commanders have said they need 30,000 more troops.
More than 2,500 Canadian soldiers are in Afghanistan's volatile Kandahar province, where Taliban militants have carried out attacks against foreign troops. British, Dutch and American soldiers are also in the region.
There are already about 36,000 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, along with roughly 20,000 others from countries taking part in the NATO-led force.
With files from the Associated Press
