Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: presidential candidates

presidential candidates

On the first day of the election campaign, only two (Ghani and Atmar) out of 18 candidates put up their pictures and posters along Darul Aman Road, a major road in Kabul. Atmar's election ticket has disintegrated since then. Photo: Ali Yawar Adili, 28 July 2019

Afghanistan’s 2019 Election (7): Dithering over peace amid a lacklustre campaign

Ali Yawar Adili • Thomas Ruttig •

One ticket has fallen apart and one candidate has withdrawn his candidacy in favour of another. This has reduced the number of presidential candidates from 18 to 16 and left the two incumbents, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah, as the main contenders in the race. In this piece, AAN’s Ali Yawar Adili […]

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The audit in Kabul - photo by Kate Clark

2014 Elections (42): Audit stopped, re-started, UN intervenes

Kate Clark • Qayoom Suroush •

There have been days of futile negotiations between the technical teams of the two presidential election candidates over the nature of the ‘invalidation’ criteria – the rules for deciding what to do with votes deemed suspicious in the audit of the 14 June second round of the presidential vote. Now, the United Nations has stepped in […]

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Elections (34): The tug-of-war over the Hazara vote, round II

Qayoom Suroush •

How did the large Afghan Hazara minority – that surprised everyone in the first round with its nearly unanimous backing for Dr Abdullah – vote in the second round of the presidential elections? Partial results from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are not yet available, but in one of the key provinces for Hazaras, Bamyan, […]

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Elections 2014 (33): ‘Amarkhel Gate’ – sheep, tape, resignation

Kate Clark •

The resignation of the head of the secretariat of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Zia ul-Haq Amarkhel, may just have saved the election – if it brings Dr Abdullah back into the process. In support of his demand (one of several) for Amarkhel to go, Abdullah had ceased cooperating with the IEC and his supporters […]

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Elections 2014 (27): Snapshots from the provinces before the second round vote

AAN Team •

How do Afghans feel about the second round of the presidential election ahead tomorrow, Saturday, 14 June? How do they perceive the security situation, the campaigning of the two contenders, the election authorities’ performance – and are they still as ready to go and cast a vote as many of them were in the first round? Like […]

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2014 Elections (21): A closer look at the IECC’s performance and the challenges it faced

Qayoom Suroush •

For the first time since elections were held in post-Taleban Afghanistan, the country’s Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) has held a series of open sessions addressing electoral complaints. The concept was, in principle, welcomed by independent observers, candidates’ agents and civil society, but the process itself was often confused and rushed and sometimes overly bureaucratic. […]

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Afghan Candidates Jockey For Position Ahead Of Expected Second Round

AAN •

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 10 April 2014 Regarding speculations about a power-sharing deal between Afghan presidential candidates before or after a likely second round of elections, AAN's Martine van Bijlert is quoted: Martine van Bijlert, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent research organization in Kabul, notes that all kinds of scenarios are possible. […]

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Who’s running? The candidates vying to be Afghanistan’s next president

AAN •

CNN, 4 April 2014 In this pre-election look on the candidates in the upcoming Afghan elections, AAN's Martine van Bijlert is quoted:  "Arshaf [sic] Ghani and Abdullah are campaigning on the implicit message that they will bring change," Martine van Bijlert, Co-director, Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) told CNN from Kabul. "Abdullah has long tried to […]

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Elections 2014 (1): Impressions from Kunduz at the eve of the elections

AAN Team •

The police chief launches operations to secure insurgency riddled districts. Campaign managers complain about the performance of the IEC. Militia commanders do their best to exhibit power, helping candidates to get more votes for money and incentives offered in case of victory. And then there are those candidates who peacefully compete for the trust of the people, ‘armed’ with […]

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Le seigneur de Kaboul: Candidat à la présidence, Abdul Rassul Sayyaf

admin •

Le Point, 3 April 2014 A long portrait of warlord and presidential candidate Sayyaf by Emmanuel Derville (through his blog; not online with Le Point). Included quotes by AAN's Thomas Ruttig: « Sayyaf a vraiment eu peur après la chute des talibans en novembre 2001, explique l’universitaire Thomas Ruttig, qui dirige l’Afghanistan Analysts Network, un centre […]

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Dividing the Field: Who shapes the electoral landscape in a Herat township – and how?

S Reza Kazemi •

In Herat, elders have divided a township into areas supporting different presidential contenders. They are motivated by financial and other benefits and a desire to end up on the winning side in any case. But they are also divided, mainly along political party lines. This heralds the coming of potentially highly contested presidential and provincial […]

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‘Pen’ Joins ‘Radio’: Qayyum Karzai gives his support to Zalmai Rassul

Kate Clark • Thomas Ruttig •

Qayyum Karzai has announced he will be supporting the campaign of former foreign minister and national security advisor, Zalmai Rassul, in a “unification” of their presidential campaigns. This has given a significant boost to Rassul’s bid for Afghanistan’s highest office, by removing one of the two men considered to be a possible Palace choice. Indeed, […]

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