KABUL, 10 October 2004 — Afghanistan’s historic presidential election closed yesterday without any of the feared large-scale violence, but the vote was thrown into turmoil when most candidates said a flawed process made the poll invalid.
All 15 of President Hamid Karzai’s rivals said they were withdrawing from the election because systems to prevent illegal multiple voting had gone awry. Yunus Qanuni, the main challenger to Karzai, was among the candidates charging fraud because it appeared indelible ink meant to prevent multiple voting could be rubbed out.
Election officials refused to halt the process, which appeared to have been embraced enthusiastically by most voters across the rugged nation despite fears of violence by Taleban militants.
“Halting the vote at this time is unjustified and would deny individuals the right to vote,” said election official Ray Kennedy. He said the allegations would be investigated but other officials said it will take weeks to complete the process.
Counting, which may take three weeks, will continue.
US-backed Karzai also said the vote could not be negated. “It’s too late in the day for a boycott,” he told a news conference. “Millions have voted in the rain, the snow and the dust storm and we should respect their decision.
“Just because 15 people have said ‘No’, we can’t deny the votes of millions.”
The impoverished nation was voting to choose its first elected president and perhaps end a quarter-century of war.
It was unclear if the poll would have much credibility after the boycott or whether it would further divide a country made up of a patchwork of ethnic groups and often warring tribes.
But the mood in most places appeared irrepressibly upbeat over Afghanistan’s transition to some kind of democracy. “This is one of the happiest days of my life,” said Sayed Aminullah as he cast his vote at Eid Gah Mosque in the capital.
“I don’t care about the result. All I care is that we are having an election. This is a sign that things are improving for Afghanistan.”
In Kandahar city, former headquarters of the Taleban, large crowds of men pushed to get into a polling center near the blue-tiled Kherqi Sharif Mosque, but only a trickle of women, all in burqa veils, were seen entering a school opposite to vote.
“We came here to vote for peace and stability and freedom for women,” said Raihana, a 37-year-old mother of eight who lived in exile in Iran for 14 years to flee war.
There were only scattered reports of election-related violence despite the Taliban’s threats.
In the biggest incident, a US bombing raid killed 24 Taleban in the central province of Uruzgan, local officials said.
The Afghan Islamic Press quoted residents as saying 14 residents were also killed, mostly women and children.
Elsewhere, three US led troops were wounded when their convoy was ambushed south of Kabul province.
The decision by Karzai’s rivals to boycott the poll was made at an emergency meeting during voting. Later, all but one of the 15 demanded fresh poll and said they would not recognize any government elected yesterday.
