Landmark Afghanistan elections likely to be delayed

By Shadi Khan Saif

KABUL, Afghanistan

The landmark presidential elections in war-ravaged Afghanistan are likely to be postponed for at least three months, amid political wrangling and proposed peace talks, officials and local media said on Wednesday.

Zabihullah Sadaat, a spokesman for the country’s Independent Election Commission, told Anadolu Agency the electoral body has been consulting the government officials and political leadership in this regard.

Sadaat said the final decision about the election delay is likely to be announced soon.

He said the reason behind proposed delay is to ensure that the country’s election commission is well prepared to hold the presidential polls and that the shortcomings of the parliamentary elections are not repeated.

Earlier this month, the election commission announced to hold the presidential elections on April 20, 2018.

During the recent trip to Kabul by the top U.S. peace negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, the local Azadi radio reported delay in the polls was one of the Taliban’s demand for the talks, a claim rejected by the rebels as well as the Afghan government.

The 2014 presidential elections in the country were marred by widespread claims of irregularities that almost brought the country on the brink of another civil war before the then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry intervened and convinced the two main rivals, Mohammad Ashraf Ghani (current president) and Abdullah Abdullah (power-sharing CEO) to form National Unity Government.

Ghani’s office has announced the president would seek another term. Among others who have already announced their intentions to run for the top post include Ghani’s former longstanding National Security Adviser Mohammad Haneef Atmar, who parted ways with the president in August citing “serious differences.”