Stars and Stripes, 21 October 2018
Lober quotes from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the rural/urban divide in Afghanistan’s parliamentary polls, following up on AAN’s first post-elections analysis:
“The Taliban effectively rule much of the rural space,” said Thomas Ruttig, co-director of Afghanistan Analysts Network, adding the militant group is “able to scare voters away” from voting in rural districts.
In Logar, the network found the Taliban were not allowing anyone into polling centers in Bashir’s village of Muhammad Agha. Locals shared photos of Taliban in camouflage uniforms on motorbikes. In another village, Afghanistan Analysts Network found that people arrived to vote but encountered no election workers, no ballots, no voter lists. So they left. (…)
Ruttig said the turnout in Zabul show the influence violent threats can have on elections. “Probably, the voters/registered voters discrepancy reflects the real balance of power in Zabul,” Ruttig said.
Revisions:
This article was last updated on 9 Mar 2020
