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
Environment
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
Afghans say will do their best to secure April poll
Wed Mar 4, 2009 12:22am EST
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Jon Hemming
KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan forces will do their best to secure an early election called for by the president next month, four months ahead of when the army and police were aiming to be ready, the interior minister said.
President Hamid Karzai last week threw the country into political turmoil, on top of the virulent Taliban insurgent threat, when he called for presidential elections to be brought forward from August 20 to April to comply with the constitution.
Karzai "is the commander in chief of our country. When he orders us to get ready, we will get ready," Interior Minister Hanif Atmar told reporters late on Tuesday.
While the constitution says the president's term ends on May 21 and polls must be held at least a month before that, opposition leaders agreed with Karzai 11 months ago it was impractical to hold an election in the spring as that would mean organizing it during the harsh winter.
But those same opposition leaders began to raise doubts about Karzai's legitimacy after May 21 when polls were set for August 20.
Almost no one thinks polls can be organized in Afghanistan in little over a month, so Karzai's move effectively calls the opposition's bluff and is aimed at forcing them to recognize his legitimacy after May 21 and allow him to retain the advantages of office as he goes in to the election campaign.
It is the job of first the notoriously corrupt Afghan police, then the army, backed by international forces to provide security during the run up to the election and on polling day.
"SAD REALITY"
One of the main reasons for choosing the August date was that it would give time for the further build-up and training of Afghan forces and the arrival of 17,000 extra U.S. forces ordered deployed by President Barack Obama.
Atmar, whose ministry controls the country's 80,000-strong police, said Taliban militants and their allies would attempt to upset the election. "It's a sad reality of the Afghan situation, but we'll do our best," he said.
The Interior Ministry had already provided a report on the readiness of the police to protect the election.
"We said if it is held in April or May it will be at this level and in the autumn at this level," he said gesturing with his hands.
The United States and its European allies support the August date for elections, but have kept relatively quiet, anxious not to appear to be overly interfering in the Afghan political process, diplomats and analysts say.
The election commission is expected to announce its response to Karzai's early election demand next week and will almost certainly repeat its decision that polls before August are impossible.
A protracted period of political horse-trading will follow, analysts predict, with opposition leaders trying to either replace Karzai with an interim leader or at least extract guarantees he will not unfairly use his office to campaign. Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Foreclosures drove up 2008 U.S. home sales: index
also on reuters
Blog: Yahoo’s Bartz Hearts Google Maps
Apple introduces new Mac desktop computers
Video
Video: Staycations" replacing vacations
More International News
Pakistan stunned by Lahore attack
| Video
Mexico troops move in to retake warring border city
| Video
North Korea missile launch not imminent, says South
Colombia rebels told to set hostage talks terms
Afghan farmers turn from drugs to fish
More International News...
Related News
Afghan rival rues errors of "younger brother" Karzai
12:22am EST
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Vegas mogul slams corporate spending backlash
Mexico troops move in to retake warring border city | Video
Older people face greater HIV infection risks: study
U.S. rescue efforts may risk double-dip recession
Bernanke defends AIG rescue, says U.S. had no choice | Video
Leave God a message at his Dutch answering service
UPDATE 2-Obama admin. backs tax haven bill, IRS eyes cheats
Pakistan stunned by Lahore attack | Video
Nikkei edges up, China hopes buoy machinery stocks
Plavix, heartburn drugs combined raise heart risk
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Talk of the town: Britney on tour
More drug violence in Mexico
In Geneva, car makers face crisis
U.S.bank bailout may cost more
Darfur genocide charges possible
Sri Lanka cricketers shot
Obama denies Russian deal with Iran
Business Update: Auto slump deepens
Bernanke urges bold action
Search continues for missing boaters
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
cricket team attacked
Sri Lanka cricket team attacked in Pakistan
Gunmen attacked Sri Lanka's cricket team with rifles, grenades and rockets, wounding six players and a British coach and killing at least eight Pakistanis in Lahore. Full Article | Video
Attack threatens sport in sub-continent
Who could have attacked Sri Lanka's cricketers?
Attack brings terror to quiet Lahore neighborhood
Factbox: Security concerns over cricket in Pakistan
Timeline: Cricket teams and militant attacks
Reuters Deals
The global destination for corporate leaders, deal-makers and innovators
Knowledge to Act
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Interactive TV |
Labs |
Reuters in Second Life |
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.