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Initially, the runoff was still set to continue despite Abdullah Abdullah’s withdrawal, who was in fact Karzai’s main opposition. Abdullah Abdullah seems to have been right, though: the Independent Election Commission canceled the runoff without consulting the Supreme Court, threatening the country’s pledge to democracy by allowing President Karzai a default win and a certain hold on his power over the country for the next 5 years.
The previous election had been mired in fraud and widespread rigging. The UN auditors invalidated almost a third of Karzai’s votes in the first round ballot when they investigated complaints about ballot stuffing and other electoral fraud. Abdullah Abdullah claimed that he had requested changes be made in the Independent Election Commission in the weeks before the runoff elections to ensure a fair and transparent election. However, Karzai had turned him down, thus prompting Mr. Abdullah to withdraw his candidacy.
On November 11th, during an interview on BBC’s HARDtalk, Abdullah Abdullah announced that he had no intention of joining Karzai in a National Unity Government regardless of international pressure. Abdullah Abdullah further stated that his refusal to join Karzai in a National Unity Government is in the best interest of Afghanistan as he will continue to promote ideas of change 'in the form of loyal opposition'.
Mr. Abdullah urged his supporters to stay calm and to stay off the streets. He expressed hopes that there will not be any mayhem or disorder amongst the people following Karzai’s win.
According to research conducted in Kabul, voters in Afghanistan still look forward to the dawn of true democracy and the ability to actively participate in the governance of their own country. However, amongst Afghan’s elite some are of the opinion that their country and its citizens have not quite acquired the understanding of the responsibilities that a democracy would entail.
Judging from the most recent election, some feel that democracy would merely lead to bribery of the poor and uneducated by the powerful and fraudulent, thus causing even more rampant corruption. The elite seem to suggest that a sort of enlightened dictatorship was more suitable given the current condition of Afghanistan.
On an international level, Karzai’s win has been received with lukewarm response. The US, UK, and the UN have all congratulated Karzai on his win but stressed the importance of changing Afghan’s policies and governing method to give birth to an era of transparency. Indeed, the messy and corrupt manner in which Karzai obtained his default win as President and the previous fraudulent election, have diminished the Afghan government’s legitimacy considerably, viewed from both a national as well as an international perspective.
The Obama administration faces immense pressure from the public on the question of whether to send more troops to Afghanistan to fight this increasingly unpopular war, especially when the government supported steadily looses credibility. The US ambassador in Kabul is said to be advising President Obama not to send in more troops to Afghanistan, as its government’s competence is questionable. In Presidents Obama's congratulatory phone call to Karzai, he emphasised the need for Karzai to end corruption in the government and to put a stop to the narcotics trade in the country.
Karzai is well known for harboring drug lords in his cabinet in the past, using them to gain more influence and control both locally and abroad. In fact, Karzai’s running mate for this election, Muhammad Qasim Fahim, is said to be a powerful former warlord. However, President Karzai promises an inclusive government this time around and is under heavy international pressure to change his governing methods. Whether or not Karzai will live up to his word of running a transparent government will remain to be seen over the next few months, as we watch with baited breath.
It is important to recognise that Karzai had secured his position as President through an electoral process that was marred with fraud and corruption. Furthermore, that the cancellation of the runoff election was handled by officials whom Karzai himself had elected into the Election Commission. It seems democracy in Afghanistan still has a long way to go.
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