The End of Democracy in Afghanistan
Barely touching the lives of Afghans over the past several years, the Western-promoted democracy in Afghanistan effectively came to an end on 2 November after the Elections Commission (IEC) formally announced the reelection of Hamid Karzai as the elected President.
In vivid contradiction to the Constitution which stipulates 50+1 percent of the votes as an unreserved prerequisite for a winner of the presidential election, Mr. Karzai has been declared the winner with less than 50 percent of the votes which were marred by state-engineered fraud largely in favour of the incumbent.
The announcement of Karzai’s reelection by the elections commission was in fact the obituary of a nascent Afghan democracy which ironically started with the same man in 2002.
Undoubtedly Mr. Karzai could easily beat Dr Abdullah in a genuinely transparent and clean run-off but his hasty decision to declare himself the winner has seriously damaged his legitimacy in the eyes of many Afghans.
Karzai’s reelection was preplanned as one day ahead of the IEC’s announcement the government declared a state of health emergency and ordered all schools and universities to shut down in order to prevent students’ mass rioting.
Unlike his much-praised willingness to go for a run-off after the fraudulent first round of the elections, Mr. Karzai’s premature decision to declare himself as the elected President is both undemocratic and un-statesmanlike.
Electing the President or Prime Minister through free, fair and transparent electoral process is the soul of any truly democratic political system. Democracy is not a rocket science; it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
In desperate need of a “partner” in Kabul for their strategies Western leaders may take a deep sigh and congratulate Mr. Karzai.
However, both as an Afghan who will be the subject of an undemocratically-declared President and as a supporter of democracy, from now on I will be against democracy if I call Mr. Karzai the democratically-elected President of Afghanistan.
The Afghan people, the candidates, the UN, the elections commission, the US and its allies have all been the losers of the presidential elections. Those whose lives will be adversely impacted by the death of democracy in Afghanistan will only be the ordinary Afghan people.
GOODBYE DEMOCRACY!
Barely touching the lives of Afghans over the past several years, the Western-promoted democracy in Afghanistan effectively came to an end on 2 November after the Elections Commission (IEC) formally announced the reelection of Hamid Karzai as the elected President.
In vivid contradiction to the Constitution which stipulates 50+1 percent of the votes as an unreserved prerequisite for a winner of the presidential election, Mr. Karzai has been declared the winner with less than 50 percent of the votes which were marred by state-engineered fraud largely in favour of the incumbent.
The announcement of Karzai’s reelection by the elections commission was in fact the obituary of a nascent Afghan democracy which ironically started with the same man in 2002.
Undoubtedly Mr. Karzai could easily beat Dr Abdullah in a genuinely transparent and clean run-off but his hasty decision to declare himself the winner has seriously damaged his legitimacy in the eyes of many Afghans.
Karzai’s reelection was preplanned as one day ahead of the IEC’s announcement the government declared a state of health emergency and ordered all schools and universities to shut down in order to prevent students’ mass rioting.
Unlike his much-praised willingness to go for a run-off after the fraudulent first round of the elections, Mr. Karzai’s premature decision to declare himself as the elected President is both undemocratic and un-statesmanlike.
Electing the President or Prime Minister through free, fair and transparent electoral process is the soul of any truly democratic political system. Democracy is not a rocket science; it is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
In desperate need of a “partner” in Kabul for their strategies Western leaders may take a deep sigh and congratulate Mr. Karzai.
However, both as an Afghan who will be the subject of an undemocratically-declared President and as a supporter of democracy, from now on I will be against democracy if I call Mr. Karzai the democratically-elected President of Afghanistan.
The Afghan people, the candidates, the UN, the elections commission, the US and its allies have all been the losers of the presidential elections. Those whose lives will be adversely impacted by the death of democracy in Afghanistan will only be the ordinary Afghan people.
GOODBYE DEMOCRACY!
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