Sunday, February 2, 2014

Afghan Presidential Election Campaign Underway

Elections to replace President Karzai are scheduled to take place on April 5, however security issues have caused fear among voters. The Taliban has rejected the elections and has been mounting attacks. Already two campaign workers for Abdullah Abdullah have been killed. Widespread fear of more attacks may cause voters to remain at home instead of going to the polls. One of the main campaign issues is the presences of US forces. Currently forces are scheduled to leave at the end of the year if an agreement is not signed by President Karzai. However, Karzai has been stalling on signing this agreement and it appears that it may be his successor who would finish the negotiations. One of the candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, held a rally at which he stated that the world shouldn't be afraid of Afghanistan and Afghans shouldn't be afraid of the world. Perhaps if he is elected this will open the door for more international cooperation.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-26007023

By: Janine Yeh

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