Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
U.N. says violence threatens Afghan poll
Sun Aug 9, 2009 3:37pm EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Peter Graff
KABUL (Reuters) - Insurgent violence and threats have hurt preparation for Afghanistan's August 20 election and could prevent large numbers of terrified Afghans from voting, the United Nations said Sunday.
"Insecurity poses a threat to the ability of a significant number of Afghan to exercise their right to vote," a U.N. report, issued less than two weeks before the poll.
"It is not surprising that the fear as well as the covert and overt intimidation that characterizes the insurgency, creates an underlying reticence to stand for office and to campaign or to vote," the report said.
Taliban militants say they plan to disrupt the poll, which U.S. President Barack Obama has identified as the most important test of Afghanistan's political progress this year. Obama has rushed thousands of extra troops to the country to help secure the vote.
President Hamid Karzai, who has lined up the backing of many of Afghanistan's powerful regional chiefs, is seen as likely to win re-election against a fractured opposition.
Diplomats worry that sustained violence on polling day, threats that sharply reduce turnout or allegations of large-scale fraud could make it hard to present any result as legitimate, worsening the instability in the country.
Senior U.S. officials said on Sunday they expected the election to proceed as scheduled and would work with Afghan officials to create a secure environment for voters.
"The Afghan people are ready and waiting, and our aim is to ensure that there's a level playing field, that the Afghan people have an opportunity to freely choose their next leader in security," Susan Rice, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said on CNN's "State of the Union."
ASSASSINATION ATTEMPTS
Violence in Afghanistan has reached its highest levels since the Taliban were driven from power in 2001, especially in the south and east of the country.
In the most violent areas, far fewer people are attending political rallies than in the past, for fear of attack, the U.N. report said. In some provinces -- such as Ghazni in the south -- candidates are not campaigning at all, only sending posters.
The report identified nine people killed in suspected election-related attacks, including four staff for Karzai's campaign, as well as numerous failed assassination attempts.
Insurgents had broadcast threats by radio in two provinces and had distributed pamphlets with threats in two others. It drew particular attention to the risks faced by female candidates and voters. The Taliban and other groups violently oppose women's participation in politics.
Female candidates make up 10 percent of those registered to stand for provincial council seats across the country, but some have been subjected to death threats. The house of one was fired on after letters were plastered on buildings warning her to stop campaigning, the report said.
In some areas, men may cast votes on women's behalf -- a practice the report said is seen as culturally acceptable in conservative parts of Afghanistan, despite being illegal. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Israel summons U.S. envoy over settlement dispute
Also on Reuters
Clinton eyes better ties with oil giant Angola
China secrets agency says Rio spied for 6 years
Publicis to buy Razorfish ad agency from Microsoft
More International News
U.S. says evidence Taliban chief dead "pretty conclusive"
Iran Guard wants former president, moderates tried
Israel summons U.S. envoy over settlement dispute
France condemns Mauritania suicide attack
| Video
Palestinian Fatah seeks renewal, rejuvenation
More International News...
Related News
Afghan war not at crisis level: Jones
3:37pm EDT
Featured Broker sponsored link
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Saudi closes broadcaster after sex confession
Two more victims recovered from NY crash | Video
Michael Douglas' son could get life in prison
"Dancing with Stars" role for Paula Abdul?
UPDATE 1-'G.I. Joe' movie leads worldwide invasion
Iran charges French woman, embassy workers with plot
China's east coast battered by typhoon
"G.I. Joe" should be court-martialed
Healthcare critics make outlandish claims: Obama
Paulson, Goldman CEO spoke often in heat of crisis
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
9 dead in mid-air collision
Sotomayor becomes 111th justice
Taiwan hit by typhoon
Deadly Indian landslide
Typhoon batters Taiwan
Doubts over Mehsud death
Mallorca bomb blast
Ladies Who Launch
Mauritania attack may impact tourism
Hillary in South Africa
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
Your View
Where were you when the Wall came down?
Did you live under the communist regime of East Germany? Sneak across the border to escape to West Berlin? Celebrate the fall of the wall in 1989? Send us your images. Blog
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.