Candidates: U.S. hands seen in Afghan elections

9/23/2004 8:00:00 PM GMT

Mohammed Mohaqiq says that he was getting prepared to participate in the October 9 presidential election when U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad offered him a deal.

"He told me to drop out of the elections, but not in a way to put pressure," Mohaqiq said. "It was like a request."

"He left, and then called my most loyal men, and the most educated people in my party or campaign, to the presidential palace and told them to make me — or request me — to resign the nomination. And he told my men to ask me what I need in return." Mohaqiq added.

The pressure

Mohaqiq said that the pressure was so intense that he agreed to quit under certain conditions. "I was very interested in taking part in the elections, but since many of my men were asking me to accept Khalilzad's ideas — and he was also telling me to do so — I didn't have much choice, and I was ready to agree," Mohaqiq said.

"But a good thing happened, and Karzai didn't agree with those terms," he added. "I don't know why."

Mohaqiq is one of many candidates who insist that the U.S. ambassador and his assistants are secretly pressuring the candidates to quit the elections and ensure the victory of President Hamid Karzai. The Americans deny the allegations.

"It is not only me," Mohaqiq said.

"They have been doing the same thing with all candidates. That is why all people think that not only Khalilzad is like this, but the whole U.S. government is the same. They all want Karzai — and this election is just a show."

Critical accusations

The accusations were echoed by many other candidates and their senior campaign staff. They expressed their anger over what many Afghans see as foreign intervention that could undermine the foundations of a democracy the U.S. promised to maintain.

Sayed Mustafa Sadat Ophyani, campaign manager for Younis Qanooni, Karzai's leading rival said; “Why is the U.S. government now looking to make people of Afghanistan accept whatever the U.S. government says?"

Also Younis Qanooni said that he and 13 other presidential candidates are expected to meet today in Kabul, to discuss the complaints about Khalilzad's interference.

In a statement released this week, Khalilzad denied the allegations that he and his aides were interfering in the upcoming election. He claimed that he "has never asked a candidate to withdraw — this is a decision for each candidate to make for him or herself."

Khalilzad has been called "the Viceroy" because his meddling in the Afghan government reminds some Afghans of the British colonialism.

Some of Karzai's rivals think that the ambassador has taken on a new role: presidential campaign manager.

This is not the first time that Khalilzad has been accused of interfering in Afghan politics. Delegates who named Karzai interim president in 2002 and authorized Afghanistan's new Constitution last December also accused the ambassador of interfering. He was also accused of paying delegates for their support. Khalilzad denies all charges.

The latest accusations are more critical because President Bush wants to use Afghan democracy as a foreign policy success in his own election campaign.

Credibility problem

The Kabul-based AREU (Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit) has drawn attention to key challenges and recommendations to improve the credibility and perceived legitimacy of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Afghanistan.

"Fix the flaws to increase electoral legitimacy," warns an AREU report that was released this week, entitled "Free, Fair or Flawed: Challenges for Legitimate Elections in Afghanistan".

"The paper raises a number of challenges for legitimate elections ranging from questions of security, security of ballots, security of voters, security of polling stations.” Thomas Muller, a communications and advocacy manager for AREU said.

Also Manoel de Almeida e Silva, a spokesman for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said that; "security is among the major concerns of these organizations,"

He added that things could have been better if there had been an organized international response to securing and monitoring the elections. "It is too late to start asking for embassies to volunteer staff."