Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Thomas Ruttig

Afghans set to vote in presidential polls as Taliban threat looms

Thomas Ruttig •

al-Jazeera, 27 September 2019 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the Biometric Voter Verification devices used in the Afghan presidential election: “The designated staff should be able to operate them sufficiently,” said Thomas Ruttig, codirector of the private Afghanistan Analysts Network in Kabul. “There have been assurances that the training was done earlier and better than the […]

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Oberlehrer ringt wieder mit Herrn Inschallah: Afghanistan wählt am Samstag zum vierten Mal einen Präsidenten

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 27 September 2019 Guest article by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the 28 September presidential election in Afghanistan, looking at the leading candidates, the security situation on the poll’s eve and the stagnating political system and voter enthusiasm (in German).  

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Wahlen in Zeiten von Gewalt und Terror

Thomas Ruttig •

dpa/Badische Zeitung, 27 September 2019 Another quote, via German Press Agency (dpa) about the success (or lack of) Afghanistan’s National Unity Government, by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig: Sowohl Ghani wie auch Abdullah waren bereits bei der umstrittenen Präsidentenwahl 2014 gegeneinander angetreten. Unter Vermittlung – manche sagen unter Zwang – des damaligen US-Außenministers John Kerry bildeten sie […]

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Wahlen in Afghanistan: “Afghanistan ist eine Fassadendemokratie”

Thomas Ruttig •

ZDF heute, 27 September 2019 Full interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the status of Afghan democracy on the website of Germany’s second largest public TV network (in German).

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Afghanistan elections Saturday. Here’s what to know about its democratic process.

Thomas Ruttig •

Washington Post, 27 September 2019 In this interesting discussion of the upcoming elections and the status of Afghanistan’s democratic process, latest AAN election-related research is quoted by author Dipali Mukhopadhyay: A wartime election will privilege the preferences of urban citizens with access to (more) secure polling stations than their rural counterparts.

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As election approaches, Afghans complain their country is run by the diaspora

AAN •

Los Angeles Times, 26 September 2019 This pre-election article looks at what people think about the poll and that many candidates have their families outside the country, and quotes AAN’s Ali Adili: In parliamentary elections last year, almost two-thirds of voters stayed away from the polls. “We have reason to believe that this year’s turnout […]

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Afghanistan: Mehr als die Hälfte lebt in Armut

Thomas Ruttig •

Deutschlandfunk Kultur, 26 September 2019 In this election primer, a rare look is taken at the socio-economic situation – and therefore at the failure of the current government (in German, also as audio). AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted here – on corruption and ghost soldiers: Ein Grund dafür scheint die Mannschaftsstärke der afghanischen Streitkräfte zu […]

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In Afghanistan, It’s Brother Against Brother

AAN •

Foreign Policy, 26 September 2019 Reportage by Austrian-Afghan reporter Emran Feroz from Baghlan, about a family split by the war, with the younger brother a Taleban fighter and others supporting the government: Sayed Shah, a local medic… has known the Rahman family for decades and is still in touch with Lemar. “Sometimes he appears with […]

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Afghanistan’s 2019 Election (10): What to watch out for on election day

Thomas Ruttig • Ali Yawar Adili • Jelena Bjelica • Martine van Bijlert •

Past Afghan elections have frequently been bewildering and surreal, even for those following the politics of the country for a long time. With this in mind, and taking into account the recent measures adopted to try to stave off a repeat of the chaos, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig, Martine van Bijlert, Ali Yawar Adili and Jelena […]

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Fears of violence and fraud hang over Afghan presidential election

AAN •

The National, 26 September 2019 AAN’s Ali Adili is quoted here in the Dubai-based daily on expected voter turnout in the forthcoming Afghan presidential election: “If we look at last year’s parliamentary elections, the majority of registered voters – almost two thirds – didn’t turn up,” said Ali Yawar Adili, an election expert working with […]

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Ghani, Abdullah Facing Off In Two-Horse Afghan Presidential Race

Thomas Ruttig •

RFE/RL, 25 September 2019 Two quotes from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig – besides Chatham House’s Hameed Hakimi, and International Crisis Group consultant Graeme Smith: “The political elites were unable to come up with a viable challenger [to the two NUG heads],” says Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the independent Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network. As a result, Ruttig says, Afghanistan’s […]

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Afghanistan wählt einen neuen Präsidenten – für die Kandidaten und die Wählerinnen ist das lebensgefährlich

Thomas Ruttig •

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 September 2019 A primer for the Afghan presidential election on 28 September of the leading Swiss newspaper, with a quote from AAN research on the lack of electoral reform (in German): Derweil steckt eine versprochene Wahlreform nach Einschätzung der Denkfabrik Afghanistan Analysts Network im Embryonalstadium. Die jetzigen Institutionen gelten als parteiisch […]

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