Afghanistan overrun by candidates

By SAYED YAQUB IBRAHIMI

KABUL, Afghanistan — “I have no idea who that is,” said Qasem, a driver, when asked about a large campaign poster hanging from a Kabul lamppost. “There are an awful lot of people that nobody ever heard of running for president.”

Officially, 41 candidates are running for president. Since campaigning officially began on June 12, the capital has been awash with posters, as major and minor hopefuls try to get their faces and names before the general public.

Given the requirements to qualify as a candidate, it should come as no surprise the field is so crowded. According to the constitution, candidates must be citizens of Afghanistan, Muslims, born to Afghan parents and at least 40 years old. In addition, those with criminal records or who have dual citizenship are prohibited from running.

Yet, even with those relatively modest requirements, two would-be candidates were barred by the Electoral Complaints Commission.

Prison record

Mohammad Akbar Bay had his candidacy rejected after it was learned he had served several years in a U.S. prison following his conviction on drug-related charges.

Sayed Jafar Hofiani was told he could not run because he has dual citizenship.

Both men disputed their disqualifications and insisted they were the victims of political intrigue.

As if voters who are scheduled to head to the polls in August didn’t already have enough to sort through with 41 presidential candidates, they will also have to chose among more than 3,000 candidates for various provincial councils.

Even the head of the country’s Independent Election Commission conceded voters were faced with an unwieldy number of presidential candidates.

“If we had the authority, we would only have accepted five of them as eligible,” Azizullah Ludin said at a news conference last month.

X Sayed Yaqub Ibrahimi is a reporter in Afghanistan who writes for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization in London that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.