InfoAnda - Afghan polls lay hope for power of ballot box

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

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

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

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

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

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray dead at 38: reports | 25 May 2010
Argentines bang pots and pans to protest government | | 8 June 2012
Key infrastructure often cyberattack target: survey | | 28 January 2010

N.Korean leader has chronic kidney failure: expert | 24 March 2010

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Afghan polls lay hope for power of ballot box

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Australia China India Indonesia Japan Malaysia Philippines Thailand Vietnam Search Search: Afghan polls lay hope for power of ballot box AFP - Sunday, August 23 KABUL (AFP) - - Afghanistan's contested presidential election has the potential to lay the foundations for a political system in which opposing factions draw broad support and power changes hands at the ballot box. ADVERTISEMENT With the result still too close to call, leading candidates, the Afghan government and the international community appear to be preparing for the possibility of a second round run-off. The main contenders for the top job -- President Hamid Karzai and former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah -- claimed they were ahead based on numbers their campaign offices were gathering. But the official result is not expected before September 3, according to the Independent Electoral Commission, and both men have been asked by Afghanistan's foreign partners to refrain from public statements on the outcome. "It is just too close to call," said one international consultant. Afghans voted in presidential and provincial council elections on Thursday in a poll which international observers said was marred by violence and allegations of fraud, but was in the main acceptable. The election was only the second for president in the country's history and the first Afghans have organised for themselves, the culmination of weeks of energetic campaigning. Foreign allies see it as a vital milestone in Afghanistan's development under the guidance of the US and the international community, which together bankrolled the vote and have more than 100,000 troops in the country. The shadow of Taliban violence was blamed for quashing participation in southern regions where the insurgents are strong, which is likely to see turnout unevenly distributed between the south and the relatively stable north. "Violence and intimidation disenfranchised voters in a significant portion of the country," US-based election monitor Democracy International said. "In more secure areas, however, Afghans generally were able to cast votes freely," it said. Preliminary indications from unofficial sources are that Karzai and Abdullah have been able to mobilise voters outside their traditional strongholds -- Karzai in the south, Abdullah in the north -- and are running neck-and-neck. "We have an election that may not result in 50 percent of the vote going to either of them," analyst and author Waheed Mujda told Afghan television, referring to the minimum requirement of 50 percent plus one vote to win. Abdullah has given a filip to the process -- for weeks seen as a foregone conclusion for Karzai -- and raised the prospect that a credible opposition could emerge and power be swapped according to the will of the electorate. Abdullah has a long history in the public eye, having gained a profile as a spokesman and aide for famous anti-Soviet and anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, assassinated in 2001, before becoming foreign minister under Karzai. "He has said he sees this (election) being a stepping stone to next year's parliamentary election and a move towards the emergence of political parties and I think he still has that ambition," said a Western official. "He may decide that he would rather be a constructive opposition. He is only 48 and he can afford to play a long game." Fulsome praise for campaigning has turned to hopes that a spirit of consensus can be carried into government once the outcome is known. "What we would like to see from the political class is a national consensus about the agenda for the next five years," the official said. "We would like to see a strong parliament and a move towards the emergence of political parties, and it would be good if they all rallied around to work together with that aim," he said. "It is very difficult to have a strong parliament -- it needs an opposition in order not to remain mired in the type of power patronage, based on deal making and warlordism, that we have had." Diplomats and analysts said Karzai told US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, in a meeting in Kabul on Friday, that he did not believe a second round would be necessary. But one independent foreign observer told AFP a run-off now appeared likely. If there is no clear victor, a second round would take place two weeks after the final results are announced on September 17, an IEC official said. Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Sign in to recommend this article » 0 users recommend Related Articles: Asia Pacific Australia sprays oil slick amid wildlife fearsReuters - 1 hour 27 minutes ago Rival Koreas meet ahead of state funeralReuters - 1 hour 34 minutes ago New Pakistan Taliban leader ruthlessAP - 1 hour 40 minutes ago Japan PM frontrunner vows to cut public debtAFP - 1 hour 52 minutes ago China drought leaves 5 million short of waterAP - 2 hours 13 minutes ago Enlarge Photo Afghan polls lay hope for power of ballot box Most Popular – Asia Pacific Viewed Egypt warns pharaohs' tombs could disappear Pandas could be extinct in 2-3 generations: report Ramadan begins on Saturday amid swine flu worries New economic data set to test Wall Street bull run Tech giants oppose Google book project View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Sunday, 23 August 2009
Iran clerics oppose Ahmadinejad on women ministers
Russia dam disaster death toll rises to 66
Homes of former Porsche executives searched: report
Reporter's family reunion in Iraq is reality check
More relay woe for United States
Iraq's Maliki pledges victory amid criticism
Iran clerics oppose Ahmadinejad on women ministers | International |
Long's sportsmanship was not case of race, says son
South Sudan accuses north of arming southern civilians, militias
Iraq's Maliki pledges victory amid criticism | International |
Iraq minister suspects security forces role in blasts
Nigeria rebel group to resume attacks, ends talks | International |
Venezuelans march over schools law, police use gas | International |
Pakistan suicide bomber blows self up during raid
Official says Iranian guards kill 2 Pakistanis
Report: Pakistani Taliban choose new leader
North Korean envoys to meet South's President Lee
Report: Hakimullah new head of Pakistani Taliban
Urban schools use marketing to woo residents back
Obama to health care critics: end `phony claims'
AP NewsAlert
Post-affair Ensign gets mixed results in Nevada
4 dead in latest violence in southern Thailand
India to let landlocked Nepal use second port
Gay clergy: Where large Protestant churches stand
Prosecutor: Neb. man stole painting for abortion
China says 2 environment officials investigated
Rioting inmates set central Ky. prison ablaze
Tips for reducing the chance a dog will bite
Change of venue court cases are extremely rare
Lutheran gay clergy vote tests mainline churches
Ga. dog pack shows fine line between pet, predator
Rival Koreas meet ahead of state funeral | International |
Russia dam disaster death toll up to 69: rescuers
Smartphones drive language learning innovation
Swiss size up hole in iconic banking secrecy
Afghan polls lay hope for power of ballot box
Triple gold for Bolt as Kenya trump Ethiopia
Vatican deplores indifference to migrants after more deaths
Japan opposition wary of polls showing a landslide | International |
US notifying Red Cross of jailed militants: report
Australia sprays oil slick amid wildlife fears | International |
King calls for unity in polarized Thailand | International |
Iraqis facing more deadly attacks says foreign minister
Weaker Hurricane Bill moves towards eastern Canada | International |
Iraqis begin restoring concrete walls in Baghdad
Argentine outrage as Iran names terror suspect as minister
Apple says Google Voice app alters iPhone | Technology |
Sean Kingston album gets fans online with karaoke | Technology |
Weaker Hurricane Bill heads for US, Canada coasts
China drought leaves 5 million short of water
CIA report has new details of prisoner abuse
HK protesters demand release of Chinese dissident
N. Korea delegation meets with S. Korean president
Lawyers can question 9/11 suspect in writing
World economy on rebound, but future uncertain
State funeral for ex-SKorean President Kim begins
Water project adds to Taiwan leader's typhoon woes
FBI director outraged by Lockerbie bomber release
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,334
China arrests 15,000 drink-drivers in a week: report
Elizabeth Edwards opens furniture store in NC
King calls for unity in polarised Thailand
Global Weather-Celsius
AP sources: Internal report tells of CIA methods
NKorea leader Kim sends message to SKorea president
Weather forecast for the Asia-Pacific region
Swine flu looms over global economic recovery
Global brands turn to China's young amid slump
Robin Williams says he is a work-in-progress dad | Entertainment |
Sean Kingston album gets fans online with karaoke | Entertainment |
Police scour Canada for millionaire murder suspect
Porn makers challenged for not mandating condoms
Guitarist James Burton fails to set world record
Europe's biggest jackpot finds a winner
US Evangelical Lutherans accept 'committed' gay clergy
Israel pushes Sweden to condemn 'anti-Semitic' story
Italian, French aircraft to join Greek fire effort
Germany ramps up pressure on GM over Opel
Afghan challenger says election widely rigged | International |
Pakistan Taliban name new leader but doubts remain | International |
More than 200 claims of irregularities in Afghan vote
Proud Scots feel heat over Libyan bomber's release | International |
Fresh attack hits northern Afghanistan: govt
Cuba publishes photo of fit-looking Fidel Castro | International |
Report: No sign of West Bank settlement slowdown
British military procurement flawed: report
Greek wildfire near Athens spreads, thousands flee | International |
Iraq intelligence chief retired before major blasts | International |
Settlements seen clouding Netanyahu Europe trip | International |
Egypt tries 26 men seen with Hezbollah links | International |
Madagascar's leaders committed to power-sharing | International |
South Korea holds state funeral for Kim Dae-jung
McCain refuses to consider taxes to reduce deficit
Dispute threatens talks to end Filipino rebellion
McCain: Obama must drop 'public option'
McCain: Health debate hurt by Kennedy's absence
Rare tiger killed, body stolen from Indonesian zoo
Obama vacation takeoff delayed by Hurricane Bill
US notifying Red Cross of jailed militants: report
Japan PM says forecast of election loss premature
Excited locals await Obamas at vacation spot
China legal activist freed, but may face tax case
Afghan commission: fraud filings could sway vote
Australian oil well to gush for nearly two months
New Pakistan Taliban leader ruthless
Japan PM frontrunner vows to cut public debt
Japan opposition wary of polls showing a landslide
Foreign direct investment plans in S. Korea jump
Rising poverty looms large in Japan's election
Bangladeshi firms seek to shed 'sweatshop' label
Diamond mining is not forever, SAfrica learns
Suspicion undermines DR Congo relief workers
New York painter barks for art
Europe's top tourist venues hit by economic crisis
The charm of the Mini rolls on at 50
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01