KABUL: Amid violence the 4th presidential elections (since Taliban’s 2001 fall) was held today. The preliminary results are expected by 17th October while final results will be announced on 7th of November.
Moreover, in case no candidate musters-up 51% of votes, follow-up polls will take place between the two top candidates. Though there are six candidates for the presidential post the bout is between President Ashraf Ghani and his Abdullah Abdullah (Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan since September 2014). It is pertinent to mention here that Abdullah Abdullah has contested elections attempting to become the president.
Afghanistan harbors 35 million citizens out of which 9.6 million are registered to vote. The voting age is 18 years.
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Top contestants:
ABDULLAH ABDULLAH: Born in Kabul on 5th day of Sept. 1960, Abdullah Abdullah joined the anti-communist resistance in Afghanistan shortly after graduating from Kabul University’s Medical School.
MOHAMMAD ASHRAF GHANI: He was born in central Logar Province on 19th day of May 1949. He first went to US on an exchange program and later studied for doctorate in Anthropology from Columbia University.
GULBUDIN HEKMATYAR: Born in northern Kunduz Province on 1st day of Aug. 1949, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar was proclaimed a terrorist by US until he signed a peace truce with President Ashraf Ghani in late 2016.
RAHMATULLAH NABIL: He was born on 30th of June, 1968 in Maidan Wardak Province. Nabil, an engineer, was the deputy director of internal affairs on the National Security Council after the collapse of the Taliban.
AHMAD WALI MASOOD: Born in Kabul on 1st day of Nov. 1964, Masood is the youngest brother of Ahmad Shah Masood, the Northern Alliance leader killed in a suicide bombing in September, 2001.
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Pakistan that had earlier announced closure of all the border terminals for security purposes during Afghan elections, had decided to let Afghan citizens cross the border facilitating them to take part in the voting process in their country. Foreign Office here held that in spite of security issues along the Pak-Afghan border, Pakistan would continue to support its Afghan brothers during the polls.
Nevertheless, on the Afghan poll day an explosion caused by IED claimed three lives (including of a central leader of JUI-F) in Chaman that is located near the Afghan border.
