Bahman Takween
Karzai’s dream for 2014 presidential election in Afghanistan
28.03.2014
The 2014 Afghanistan presidential election is on the way. Hamid Karzai and his “team” who have ruled the country for more than a decade are worried. Their main concern is losing political power. They have long-term strategies for Afghanistan and so to maintain their “tribal” grip on political power is the key for suppressing any democratic movement. However; it seems that their luck is not helping, and their political rivals in “ex-jehadi” groups are gaining more public attention. Afghan people are fed up with the corrupt and irresponsible administration in Kabul. They want to see change, but it is also possible that people may not elect a reliable substitute for a corrupt and inconsistent leader.
Despite of every efforts made by Karzai administration to play with people’s perception due to gain meaningful support for Zalmail Rasoul or Ashraf Ghani Ahamadzai (pro Karzai presidential candidates), it seems that they may not receive a weighty mandate in coming election. Henceforth, Karzai and his followers would start any conspiracy either to deteriorate the security situation through their Taliban “brothers” or to use further corrupt means to change the final results of election in their favor (as they did so during the previous presidential election).
However, the casualties of Afghan National Army soldiers in Kunar and the attack on “Kabul Serena” hotel causing the death of innocent Afghan journalist (Ahmad Sardar), his wife and children made the youth and civil society furious. They came out to street and chanted strong anti-Karzai and anti- Taliban slogans. They questioned Karzai’s loyalty to ordinary Afghan people and blamed him supporting Taliban. Moreover, Fawzia Kofi a female member of Afghan parliament also broke up the silence and mentioned that Karzai would want to disturb the election process to gain his personal interests. At the same time, Afghan media also banned the broadcast of any news concerning Taliban and presented anti-Karzai and anti-Taliban programmes.
Nevertheless, the questions remain here are: what would Karzai and his followers want as a result of these plots? What will happen after election?
As mentioned, Karzai and his team’s main interest are to maintain political power. Democratic turnovers and the result of election would not be in their favor due to the shifts in public opinion against them. Hence, as they have close connections with “talibanist” and “tribalist” militants and political groups; they will definitely chose violent collusions to maintain their grip on power. Election is an option for them, if they failed to obtain political power through it, Talibans 2nd “Emarat” will be their last choice.
On the other hand, Karzai’s lack of interest in signing the security treaty with the US and its continuous complaints from the American and Nato policies and conducts portrait him as a godfather to the Taliban and other insurgent groups. Furthermore, he has even gone forward by winking vigorously to Russinas due to sounding in favor of them after the Ceriman referendum. Despite the populistic nature of Karzai’s campaigns to present him as a “nationalistic leader” at the end of his second term; it is obvious the he would definitely count on “tribalist” and “talibanist” political companion to remain as a prominent figure in next political set up.
Whatever the result of the next election would be; it is quit vivid that the newly born democracy of Afghanistan will suffer. If Karzai and his team succeeded; the upcoming government would definitely serve the political interests of tribalism and Talibanism; it would bring many nondemocratic changes and the civil rights of people will be violated. Women and children will be chained further through conservative and mediaeval policies.
Notwithstanding of all these pale pictures, there is a hope that the newly emerging civil society, democratic political groups and individuals would not set back. They will commence strong campaigns for civil rights and will try to obtain the human and women rights. The tribalists and Talibanist forces will not be able to suppress the righteous democratic movements for long. People of Afghanistan will struggle for a peaceful and democratic country in which the civil rights of men and women would be ensured.
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