05:59
13.6.2014
Abdullah Interview
Abdullah Abdullah says he would reset relations with the United States and neighboring Pakistan if elected. He also says battling corruption would be among his main concerns.
The Atlantic Council has Abdullah's comments in response to questions from listeners:
-- On Afghanistan as a refuge for terrorist groups.
Abdullah Abdullah says he would reset relations with the United States and neighboring Pakistan if elected. He also says battling corruption would be among his main concerns.
The Atlantic Council has Abdullah's comments in response to questions from listeners:
-- On Afghanistan as a refuge for terrorist groups.
"Ourselves having suffered from terrorism ... I am categorically against the presence of any terrorists" in Afghan territory. If terrorists are there, then it will be for the Afghan state to take action against them."
-- On Afghanistan's historic ethnic divides, notably between Pashtuns who dominate the south and Tajiks, the group with whom Abdullah is most identified.
"These are perceptional challenges," based on "an outdated perception of reality."
Abdullah said voting patterns in the April election, including strong support for him in ethnic Pashtun zones, reflects a diminution of old, ethnic and tribalized politics in Afghanistan.
-- On human rights and women's rights.
Human rights concerns and support for women's access to education and career opportunities have gotten rhetorical support from the state, but too little real attention, Abdullah said. They must "be part and parcel of every decision that is being made by the government."
--On a possible future role for President Hamid Karzai.
"Certainly he will have a political role to play" if Karzai wishes, Abdullah said, while adding that "we have not discussed" details.
05:48
13.6.2014
Abdullah Interview
Abdullah spoke with the Atlantic Council last night via Skype. You can see the whole interview here:
There is also a Storifyed version:
05:37
13.6.2014
Afghan Voters Left With Images of Negative Campaigning
What will voters have on their minds when they go to cast their votes? We write that while the campaign might be over, the evidence of mudslinging remains:
Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani took the low road as the Afghan presidential campaign wound down, with their teams and supporters engaging in petty name-calling, and exchanging personal insults and threats.
They also got some final, and lasting, words in, despite a two-day "silence period" under which candidates are barred from campaigning ahead of the June 14 vote.
A number of negative posters and billboards were placed around Kabul ahead of the ban, as smears emerged on social media, ensuring that voters would have something to think about as they head to polling stations.
What will voters have on their minds when they go to cast their votes? We write that while the campaign might be over, the evidence of mudslinging remains:
Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani took the low road as the Afghan presidential campaign wound down, with their teams and supporters engaging in petty name-calling, and exchanging personal insults and threats.
They also got some final, and lasting, words in, despite a two-day "silence period" under which candidates are barred from campaigning ahead of the June 14 vote.
A number of negative posters and billboards were placed around Kabul ahead of the ban, as smears emerged on social media, ensuring that voters would have something to think about as they head to polling stations.
05:28
13.6.2014
Outgoing President
In a televised address to the nation last night, President Hamid Karzai urged all eligible voters to cast their ballots. This is some of what he had to say:
05:18
13.6.2014
Weclome back to our coverage of the run-off election in Afghanistan. Only 24 hours to go before polls open.
18:14
12.6.2014
This concludes our live-blogging for Thursday, June 12. We will be back first thing in the morning (Kabul time)!
18:13
12.6.2014
17:15
12.6.2014
Abdullah Abdullah's campaign has hired a U.S.-based PR firm, according to this document published on the U.S. Department of Justice's Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) website.
In a May 19 letter contained in the document, a partner for Sanitas International Inc. writes that the firm is "honored to support a 'Free and Fair' advocacy campaign in Afghanistan on behalf of Abdullah Abdullah during the 2014 Presidential elections."
The document indicates that the request to hire Sanitas was signed on June 1, and received by FARA's registration unit on the morning of June 9.
In a May 19 letter contained in the document, a partner for Sanitas International Inc. writes that the firm is "honored to support a 'Free and Fair' advocacy campaign in Afghanistan on behalf of Abdullah Abdullah during the 2014 Presidential elections."
The document indicates that the request to hire Sanitas was signed on June 1, and received by FARA's registration unit on the morning of June 9.
16:38
12.6.2014
16:37
12.6.2014