Afghan people wait impatiently to experience the milestone which will take place within the new government. Their active partaking in the first round of presidential election demonstrated their keen interest in structural changes. Afghans’ political awareness and their concern about their future are highly notable. Moreover, the first democratic transition will be a sweet experience for them.  

Needless to say, three decades of war and bloodshed inflicted heavy casualties and negative psychological effects on Afghan men and women. Election and democracy were the only dream come true for them. They were not only deprived of their basic rights, but also doomed to suffer violent behaviors and cruelties.

Since citizens have a set of rights and responsibilities, giving them the right to vote and the chance of deciding in political arena will boost their morale and let them enjoy the civil rights. Further, they will deem voting as their responsibility and will not evade it easily. Therefore, this will be a considerable step towards democratization. But a question which is on the tip of everyone’s tongue is that have the last decade of democratic government borne the desired fruit?

In this issue, you will hardly get a positive answer from an Afghan citizen. The challenges seem to be as big as a decade ago. For instance, narcotic production, administrative corruption, Mafia gangsters, poverty condition and insecurity are still the serious issues across the country.

In addition, the release of Taliban prisoners and the refusal to sign BSA, despite the agreement of the members of Loyga Jirga, by Presidential Palace raised the concern of the Afghan people. Such issues put the President in collision course with them. In short, the last decade of democratic government failed to meet Afghans’ needs and it was a bitter pill for the government to swallow.

Afghan people participate in election with higher expectations. Democracy is supposed to be practiced in its true way by officials. An effective mechanism will have to be taken to address the aforementioned challenges. In other words, Afghan people expect the presidential candidates to fulfill their mouthwatering promises. If they do not practice upon their words, the nation-state trust will decrease to the lowest point.

It is hoped that whoever of the two candidates win in the next round election, he will cherish democracy and the people’s ballots and bring better changes across the country. Perhaps, the next president will be able to obtain the Afghans’ satisfaction and fulfill their expectations.