KABUL, 29 January 2005 — Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday urged Iraqis to vote, also saying he wanted parliamentary elections in Afghanistan to be held “very very soon” without giving a specific date.
“Voting is the only way for our brothers and sisters in Iraq to have a government of their choice, to have complete peace and to have prosperity,” Karzai told reporters gathered at his palace in Kabul.
The Oct. 9 presidential election in Afghanistan “was the defeat of all of those who did not want Afghanistan to live in a prosperous, peaceful environment,” he added. “Iraq is no exception ... by voting they will actually determine their own future,” Karzai said.
Thousands of Iraqis living outside their country began voting yesterday in the first elections since President Saddam Hussein was ousted in March 2003 during the US-led invasion with polls opening around the world — notably in key Middle Eastern countries.
Polls for the battered country’s 275-member Transitional National Assembly will be held in Iraq tomorrow amid increased militant attacks against US and Iraqi troops, candidates and civilians.
In Afghanistan, electoral authorities said last year that parliamentary, provincial and district elections should be held before the end of the Afghan month of Saur, the 20th of May in the western calendar.
But analysts expect a delay as the authorities did not respect a deadline last week to define electoral boundaries 120 days ahead of the polls.
The date of the polls “will be decided by the Afghan Election Commission together with the United Nations,” Karzai said.
“They are studying it, they are having their technical preparations for the elections. I hope they can do it as soon as possible. We are in great hurry to have a Parliament as soon as possible.”
The new Parliament is key to bolstering Afghanistan’s fledgling democracy by giving Karzai’s mainstream opponents, some of them powerful former warlords, a platform to express their criticisms of the president and his government.
Afghanistan was to hold parliamentary elections in April after its first presidential polls in October, but logistical problems have already delayed the polls and diplomats fear it could be as late as July before they finally take place.
“We are in a great hurry to have a Parliament as soon as possible,” Karzai said.
But there is much work to be done before the elections can be held. Karzai must set the electoral boundaries at least 120 days before the polls, meaning that if announced tomorrow, the elections could be held at the end of May at the earliest.
Better population figures must also be gathered to determine how many deputies represent each province and the electoral register needs to be updated.
Meanwhile, the World Bank approved a $27 million grant to the government of Afghanistan yesterday to strengthen the country’s public administration functions.
The money will be put toward the improvement of public procurement, financial management and accountability systems.
“The government of Afghanistan has taken substantive measures to build an effective public administration that is small and focused on core functions,” according to a statement from the World Bank.
“However, enormous challenges remain, including improving security throughout the country, re-establishing national unity, developing institutions capable of formulating and implementing policies and reaching out to provinces to collect revenues and deliver services.”
In announcing the grant, the World Bank praised the new Afghan government’s economic management, specifically its conservative monetary policy and successful currency reform.
