Will Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani become the next president of Afghanistan? This will be decided by the people of Afghanistan on Saturday, 14 June. The second president of Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban regime is coming through votes of the people and transition of power from one to another elected president will take place for the first time in the history of Afghanistan.
This must be conceived a great achievement for the people of Afghanistan who despite serious security threat voted on April 5th and voted once more in the run-off election. The credit also goes to the international community for its generous cooperation with Afghanistan throughout the last thirteen years in supporting democracy and rule of the people. Meanwhile, the efficient role of Afghan security forces that provided security to the electoral process cannot be neglected and must be acclaimed.
During the second round of election, it was the people, electoral bodies of the country and Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) that ensured holding of a successful election.
The people once more showed that they want to choose their leader through the power of their ballots. They enthusiastically voted to their desired candidate as this is the best way through which they can help in formation of a democratic, peaceful and prosperous future for their country. Voting is a national obligation of every man and woman of this country which must be fulfilled with great honesty.
This time, expectations are high from electoral bodies of Afghanistan. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) must leave no stone unturned for concluding a free, fair and transparent election. That should be the target as it is the foremost demand of the people of Afghanistan. Re-occurrence of incidences of mismanagement such as shortage of ballot paper that deprived thousands of people from casting their votes in the first round as well would only bring discredit to the IEC authorities.
The most crucial responsibility on the Election Day was on the shoulder of Afghan army and police. As compared to election on April 5th, insurgents posed more threats this time. Their efforts were aimed at disrupting this very democratic process by launching terror attacks. Nonetheless, they were not able to create serious threats to the voters; however, they were able to discourage some of the voters to cast their votes.