The election campaign ended and election day passed with all its excitements and fears. Yesterday’s presidential elections gave our nation a new hope. Well-organized, peaceful and high turnout of voters surprised the world and this special day brought special pride and goodwill for all the Afghans.

Before the election UN’s Special Representative Jan Kubis had said that preparations for upcoming elections were better than the last two elections and better results could be expected in the elections. He asserted that government officials, candidates and members of election commission should perform their duties for fair and transparent elections and the mentioned authorities really did their best to ensure better elections.

First of all, the arrangements made by our security forces were really worth-praising. Hundreds and thousands of security forces were deployed in all corners of the country and their vigilance and proper planning made sure the extremely peaceful elections of the country’s history. Although Taliban and other militant organizations had threatened to carry out massive attacks on the day of election, the security measures thwarted this threat and no major attack has been reported.

Role of media in increasing awareness about the importance of casting vote in common people is worth praising. All the forms of media; electronic, print and others were busy for almost a year to inform people about their responsibilities regarding elections. It is the reason why, the awareness in common public is far better in these elections comparing to the last two presidential elections. It is a positive indication that most of the people are aware of their responsibilities. They did not only cast their votes but were also persuading others to cast their votes. The election campaigns of candidates also added to this awareness in public. In a country where Taliban had already threatened the voters and the attacks carried out in the wake of elections, such enthusiasm of voters is really worth appreciating. The previous attacks and the rumors did not much affect the spirit of people and they casted their votes in the hope of changing their fates.

In addition, the campaigns carried out by the electoral candidates, the Independent Election Commission and civil society including of scholars, religious leaders, tribal elders and others made the general public realize their responsibility regarding the elections. The resultant enthusiasm in public due to this media alertness ensured the healthy turnover in the elections.

Another important factor was the bravery and patriotism of general public. There were so many reasons to keep them away from polling stations but they dismissed all the fears and went to the polling stations to cast their votes and put their share in the future of the country. People feared their lives due to the threats of Taliban but they ignored these threats. There were many who had not taken the voter registration cards and in the end, they repented for not obtaining them when they saw large number of people walking towards the stations. The general discipline shown by voters was also a very positive factor.

The preparations made for the proper elections by the Independent Election Commission surprised those who were doubtful about the capacity of such a newly-born democracy. With the exception of a few complaints about the non-availability of election materials in some parts of the country, the arrangements made were satisfactory.

These elections negated all the pessimistic fears of some experts about the future of the country. With these elections, we have proved as a nation that we are advancing in the right direction and democracy is getting stronger with every passing day.

Now that people have performed their duty, it comes on the shoulders of the concerned authorities to make sure the transparency in the processes of counting and compiling results. Such a transparent process would thus make sure that the elected members of public should come to power.

It should be noticed that even after a decade of democratic government, country is still facing so many difficulties in form of corruption, insecurity, sectarian divide and so forth. The only solution to all these problems lies in the smooth transition of power and the continuation of democratic practices. It is now really important to see how the process is further pursued after the election day.