About 12 million people are eligible to vote on Saturday in the first round of what it is hoped will be the country's first peaceful transfer of democratic power
3.40pm BST
The vote count has started in some parts of Afghanistan after polling stations closed. Reporters said there appeared to be a high turnout in the cities surveyed but it was difficult to imagine the situation in rural areas where a large proportion of Afghans live.
The counting of votes will continue until to April 20 with results expected on the 24th. Complaints will be heard from April 7-April 27 and a final result will be announced on May 14. If no single candidate get 50% of the vote, there will be a second vote between the leading two candidates on May 28.
Democracy in the dark. @IECAfghanistan workers count ballots without electricity. #afgvotes #afghanistan pic.twitter.com/HF9lm3wnJK RT@askBilal
3.22pm BST
Sameer Patil, associate national security fellow at Gateway House, the Indian council for global relations said successful elections will damage the credibility of the Taliban.
Although the Taliban has boycotted the Afghan election calling it a sham, reports suggest that the voter turnout has been good despite threats of violence. A free and fair election in Afghanistan will go a long way in weakening Talibans propaganda about the administration in Kabul being a puppet regime set up by the international community. A successful election in Kabul will also go a long way in lifting the morale of the Afghan security forces which now bear the onus of carrying out a successful security transition. Hopefully the election will produce a stable government which has the capacity to face the challenges that lie before Afghanistan.
2.52pm BST
Rob Taylor has some more details on voting problems in Mazer-i-Sharif.
Mazar shopkeeper Faridon Samedi says he's been to four places since lunch to vote, but none have ballots left. #afelex
Big voting station near Blue Mosque in central Mazar still clogged inside with voters an hour after #afelex close. Gates shut tho.
1.53pm BST
As polling booths are closing in Kabul, here are some of the main developments on Afghan election day.
1.50pm BST
Emma Graham-Harrison reports that polling stations are now closed.
Voting has officially closed, and counting can begin, election organisers say -- but those polling stations (and there are quite a few) where people are still waiting will allow everyone in line at five to cast a vote.
1.39pm BST
There's a sense of relief in Kabul now that the elections are almost over.
After days in which it felt like the city was holding its breath, Kabul life starting to return to normal. Streets filling up, shops opening
11.47am BST
Rob Taylor is in Mazer-i-Sharif for the Wall Street Journal.
Mazar's famous Blue Mosque almost deserted on #afelex voting day. Normally packed on Sat pic.twitter.com/leWYUcF55Z
People line up in Balkh district, where officials say they will soon run out of ballots #afelex pic.twitter.com/RQ8ufrwtEc
Police check cars coming into Mazar-i-Sharif on #afelex voting day pic.twitter.com/N19yV8uXXJ
11.36am BST
Sad news of would-be voters giving up hope of seeing a ballot paper in Kandahar, reports Emma Graham-Harrison.
Haji Mohammad Ehsan, deputy head of provincial council in Kandahar told her.
From around 11.30 in 6 to 7 sites in Kandahar city the papers started to run out. I visited the sites from 2.30 and there were still no papers. A lot of people who were waiting in line for a long time, when the sites didn't provide the papers they left and went home.
11.30am BST
Calm and cricket in Kandahar, according to reporter Nathan Hodge.
Street cricket, with sandals for wickets. pic.twitter.com/8ZQKTQwYJm
I have lost count of the number of street cricket games I have seen today in Kandahar. It's only noon.
"Everything is calm," says Capt. Nabi Nezami, a police officer in Kandahar. No problems." pic.twitter.com/cI6ZaEGPzP
11.20am BST
The AP's Kathy Gannon prepared this report on the election issues before she was shot and injured in Khost yesterday. Her companion, photographer Anja Niedringhaus was killed.
SECURITY: A spike in attacks ahead of the elections has highlighted the poor state of security in Afghanistan. While most people said it has hardened their determination to go to the polls, fear dominates their lives and the lives of their children. Stories abound of children whose artwork is seldom without helicopter gunships or soldiers with guns. Security has been turned over to the Afghan National Security Forces ahead of the final withdrawal of U.S. and NATO combat troops at the end of this year. Many candidates say that improving security is the top concern.
CORRUPTION: According to Transparency International, Afghanistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world, along with North Korea and Somalia. According to most Afghans, corruption seeps into every facet of their life. Errands as simple as paying bills often require bribes. The most immediate worry of many Afghans is that fraud will again mar polling results. The 2009 election was declared deeply flawed by local and international election monitors.
ECONOMY: Lack of jobs and widespread poverty has most Afghans wondering where billions of dollars in international aid that poured into Afghanistan after the collapse of the Taliban have gone. The Asian Development Bank said the Afghan government twice missed its revenue targets last year. Foreign aid contributes upward of 90 percent of the government's overall budget. But there is some good news with the Asian Development Bank revising Afghanistan's growth rate this year upward to 5.3 percent. Much of that growth is in the country's agricultural sector.
WOMEN: Afghan women have come a long way since the Taliban ruled the country and they were forced indoors and into the all-encompassing burqa (It should be noted however that most women still wear the burqa in rural areas where an overwhelmingly conservative culture prevails.) But today girls are in school and women are in the workforce, some holding seats in parliament. Still, many women activists worry that the government's determination to protect their rights is waning. They worry going forward that their gains might be sacrificed in favor of an agreement with the Taliban. They have been rallying behind women candidates, and look to the next president to move forward with legislation that enshrines their rights.
FUTURE US ROLE: Afghan President Hamid Karzai's deteriorating relations with Kabul's Western allies has Afghans worried that a further deterioration could leave them isolated once again. Karzai has refused to sign a Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States, which is needed if a residual force of about 12,000 to 15,000 U.S. and NATO troops is to remain behind in Afghanistan next year. Every candidate has vowed to sign it, but Washington says the longer it takes to get the pact inked, the fewer troops it is likely to keep in the country. The billions of dollars in international aid that come to Afghanistan are also tied to the nation's relationship with the United States and other Western countries.
11.14am BST
Almost 1,000 polling stations closed, mostly because of security concerns.
Adding today's closures to ones made preemptively, out of #Afghanistan's 6,770 potential polling centers, 959 are closed #AfghanElections
11.06am BST
According to Emma Graham-Harrison, the election commission have to find extra ballot papers for extended voting time.
Election organisers and monitors appear to have been blindsided by the extent of enthusiasm for this election.
Reports are pouring in from the north, south and west (I've not yet seen any from east, but can't imagine its not an issue there too) of polling stations running out of ballots, with hours of voting time still to go.
Organisers have already extended voting time by an hour, and say they are rushing to get more ballots out so people who want to can vote.
10.52am BST
ABC correspondent meets Afghan Sikhs.
Afghanistan's minority Sikhs pose after casting ballots (via @SaraBasharmal) pic.twitter.com/tytjL6MMzG
10.46am BST
Emma Graham-Harrison tells me that there are a lot of children at polling stations in Kabul, though probably not in Wardak.
Lots of people taking their children to the polls, to experience the day's emotions. One friend said election officials put the indelible ink on his four-year old daughter's finger, so she would feel part of the vote even though she's obviously far too young to cast a ballot (and didn't try).
10.43am BST
Kevin Sieff from the Washington Post is in Wardak where voting is very different from Kabul.
Incredible to see photos of lines outside Kabul polling stations. In rural Wardak there's, well, nothing.
A firefight rages in central Wardak as Afghan soldiers protect an empty polling station. #AfghanElections
Four election observers arrested by the NDS in Wardak for fraud. #AfghanElections
More Taliban small arms fire targeting a polling center in Chakh district of Wardak. #AfghanElection
One common theme here: no one wants ink on his finger. "It makes us targets for the Taliban tonight."
And we're stuck in the mud.
10.33am BST
As Emma Graham-Harrison reports, there have been incidents throughout the day.
Armed men attacked poll station in Baghlan, beat up staff, threw ballots in river last night, IEC head says. Opened with new ballots today
Wardak governor's spox says police officer and NDS officer arrested for absconding with 5 ballot boxes in Sayedabad, aiming to stuff them
Khost governor's office says 3 men + 1 woman arrested for having 1067 voting cards (none fake!), and 2 men detained for voter intimidation
10.26am BST
The Guardian's correspondent in Kabul reports that voting will continue beyond 5pm (12.30 GMT) .
Head of election commission says they will extend voting by an hour to 5pm, because of security delays that put start of polling back
If sites are very crowded after 5pm, and people have not been able to vote, polling will be continued even if staff have to work till 8pm
10.17am BST
A Reuters correspondent highlights the lack of ballot papers in some areas.
Bamyan gov spox: Most of polling centers in Waras, Yakawlang & Panjab districts ran out of ballot papers, 100s can't vote #AfghanElections
10.15am BST
Some images of women voting and queuing in rural areas from Afghan media.
Women in Faryab leaving a voting center suggest participation has spanned beyond #Afghanistan's urban hubs #AFG2014 pic.twitter.com/DvAsfiX0Ka
Female voter turnout has been a major success story of Election Day 2014 (photo: @Baztabaf) #AfghanElections pic.twitter.com/1YZmTrojVZ
Voters wait in line outside voting center in rural Daikundi province #AfghanElections #Afghanistan #AFG2014 pic.twitter.com/q5uvMYopRk
9.55am BST
Emma Graham-Harrison has filed this report from Kabul.
Afghan voters defied Taliban threats, rain and pre-emptive accusations of fraud, heading to the polls in large numbers on Saturday to choose a new president after more than a decade under Hamid Karzai.
People waited an hour or more for their turn at the ballot box in the cities and safer areas, and turnout was so high that concerns about the vote, previously focused on cheating and violence, shifted to a possible shortage of voting papers.
9.52am BST
BBC's Karen Allen reports attacks on polling stations in northern Afghanistan.
Local media report that armed men have tried to storm other polling stations in parts of the north - Parwan Province among those singled out
9.39am BST
Reuters had provided key facts on the Afghan elections.
KEY FACTS
- There are nearly 28,500 polling centres and smaller polling stations. But at least 10 percent of polling stations are expected to have closed due to security threats.
- Two of the three main international observer missions pulled out foreign staff after the Taliban attacked a highly fortified hotel in the capital, Kabul, where many were staying, killing nine.
- Afghanistan, with a population of about 30 million, has 12 million eligible voters, but as many as 18 million voter cards are in circulation.
- Turnout was 4.6 million in the previous presidential election, in 2009, which was considered low. Some 1.2 million ballots were thrown out as fraudulent. Afghanistan has printed 15 million ballot papers this time, but spiralling violence may once again keep the turnout down.
- The Taliban have threatened to disrupt the election, which they see as a U.S.-backed sham. They staged almost daily attacks, mainly in Kabul, in the run-up to the poll.
- Afghanistan's authorities say they will deploy 352,000 forces to provide security during the vote.
- If a candidate dies before the announcement of final results, new elections will be held within 30 days.
TIMEFRAME
- Vote counting: April 6 to 20
- Preliminary results: April 24
- Presidential election complaints period: April 7 to 27
- Final results announcement: May 14
- Run-off, if necessary: May 28
9.37am BST
And the rest of the candidates.
ABDUL RASOUL SAYYAF: An influential former lawmaker and religious scholar, Sayyaf is one of the more controversial candidates among Afghanistan's foreign allies because of his past as a warlord during the 1990s civil war and allegations of past links to radical jihadists including Osama bin Laden. As a Pashtun and charismatic speaker, he may appeal to Afghanistan's large number of religious conservatives.
QUTBUDDIN HILAL: An engineer by training with experience in Afghanistan's Defense Ministry, Hilal once headed a military commission tasked with uniting jihadi organizations. He twice served as first vice president in 1993 and 1996 and also served as deputy prime minister. He has been endorsed by the leader of Hezb-i-Islami chief, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, considered a terrorist by the United States and a target of the U.S.-led coalition.
GUL AGHA SHERZAI: Earned the nickname of "the bulldozer" for serving as public works and transport minister. Previously a mujahedeen commander in Kandahar, he also has served as governor of Kandahar and later governor of Nangarhar. He was the only governor to meet Barak Obama during his 2008 presidential campaign.
HEDAYAT AMIN ARSALA: Born in Kabul to an influential Afghan family, Amin was the first Afghan to join the World Bank, in 1969. He worked there for 18 years before joining the fight against the Soviet occupation. Arsala later served as finance minister, briefly as foreign minister, and after the collapse of the Taliban was selected as commerce minister. He also headed the Independent Commission of Administrative Reforms, the National Statistics Commission and the Economic Cooperation Committee. For years, he served as a senior adviser to Karzai.
MOHAMMAD DAOUD SULTANZAI: A pilot by training, Sultanzai defected to Germany after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and then settled in the U.S. He returned to Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban and went on to serve as a member of Parliament. Sultanzai also is known as an Afghan political commentator and talk show host.
9.36am BST
In addition to the Guardian interactive posted earlier, AP has provided information on the candidates.
ABDULLAH ABDULLAH: Having gained 31 percent of the vote as runner-up to Karzai in the disputed 2009 elections, Abdullah has an advantage in name recognition and political organization. He was a close aide to the late Ahmad Shah Masood, the Northern Alliance rebel commander famed for his resistance to Soviet occupation and the Taliban. Abdullah has a strong following among ethnic Tajiks in Afghanistan's north, but his perceived weak support among Pashtuns Afghanistan's largest ethnic group at 42 percent could keep him from gaining a majority of votes, even though he is half-Pashtun.
ZALMAI RASSOUL: A former foreign minister, Rassoul has been national security adviser to the government and is seen as close to Karzai. He could end up being a consensus candidate among many political factions. A Pashtun like Karzai, he has a medical degree and is fluent in five languages, including French, English and Italian. He lived in Italy for many years with Afghanistan's deposed King Zahir Shah, who died in Kabul in 2007.
ASHRAF GHANI AHMADZAI: Ghani is a former finance minister who ran in the 2009 presidential elections but received just 3 percent of the vote. A well-known academic with a reputation as a somewhat temperamental technocrat, Ghani chairs a commission in charge of transitioning responsibility for security from the U.S.-led coalition to Afghan forces. Ghani also worked at the World Bank.
9.34am BST
Four voters were wounded in an explosion at a polling station in the southeastern province of Logar. It was the most serious attack so far on an election that Taliban insurgents had vowed to derail, branding it a US-backed sham.
Police in the northern province of Faryab said they had arrested a would-be suicide bomber trying to enter a polling station, while in Ghazni, in the southeast, a volley of rockets were fired but landed far from a voting centre.
"I call on the people of Afghanistan to prove to the enemies of Afghanistan that nothing can stop them," Yousaf Nuristani, chairman of the Independent Election Commission said after he had cast his own vote as a polling station opened in Kabul.
9.32am BST
A series of election images from Afghan and British media.
Nothing can stop them. Women's lined up under rainy #kabul, to #vote. #AfghanElections. pic.twitter.com/JwIIavP5u3
In the shadow of the destroyed #Bamiyan Buddhas. Great photo by @HabibKhanT taken in the run up to #Afghanelections pic.twitter.com/WOOh1sqrOG
Frisking for suicide bombs - an either/or kind of job. pic.twitter.com/h4pYCPGt5P
9.28am BST
Voting appears to be brisk, with large queues forming as people wait to cast their ballots...
The Guardian's Afghanistan correspondent Emma Graham-Harrison says it has been an upliftingly peaceful start to the day. Last time round, attacks in the provinces began at 5am and today there have been no reports yet of violence.
9.28am BST
Click through our interactive guide to the presidential election to see key facts, figures and profiles of the candidates.
9.28am BST
The runup has been marred by violence, and the aftermath will no doubt be contested, but Saturday is the day Afghans get to vote for a new president, the third such poll since the fall of the Taliban. If the process ends as it should, it will be the first ever peaceful democratic transfer of power in the country. But that's a big if.
Around 12 million people are eligible to vote, and almost 7,000 polling stations are open nationwide. Saturday's vote is just the first round. Eight candidates are vying to succeed President Hamid Karzai, who is barred under the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term. With three men former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul, and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai considered frontrunners, it is unlikely that anyone will get the 50% needed for outright victory. So a runoff is widely expected later in the summer.
Continue reading...