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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (1) Slideshow Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Obama to announce $50 bln infrastructure job plan 11:06am EDT UK police seek information on newspaper eavesdropping 05 Sep 2010 Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft 03 Sep 2010 Tropical storm Hermine strengthens off Mexico 11:01am EDT God did not create the universe, says Hawking 02 Sep 2010 German party mistakenly hands out porn pens to kids 03 Sep 2010 Jobs data continues to lift global equities | Video 10:17am EDT What might make the Fed flinch? 05 Sep 2010 RPT-UPDATE 1-Wall St Week Ahead: Stocks fly into September 05 Sep 2010 In wake of Earl, U.S. eyes other potential storms 05 Sep 2010 Obama to announce $50 bln infrastructure job plan 11:06am EDT Strange and unusual 26 Aug 2010 German party mistakenly hands out porn pens to kids 03 Sep 2010 God did not create the universe, says Hawking 02 Sep 2010 Vit D linked to cancer, autoimmune disease genes 23 Aug 2010 Jobs data continues to lift global equities | Video 10:17am EDT Firm can't fire man for 1.8 cent theft 03 Sep 2010 Tropical storm Hermine strengthens off Mexico 11:01am EDT Analysis: More talk of Belgium split as coalition talks fail 05 Sep 2010 Japanese couples say "I do" -- in divorce ceremonies 21 Jun 2010 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. Graft and threats of violence cloud hopes for Afghan vote Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Related News Afghan journalist stabbed to death in Kabul-palace 9:13am EDT Analysis & Opinion ANALYSIS-India’s economic reforms in limbo as state polls near The contours of an Afghan settlement Related Topics World » Afghanistan » 1 / 5 Afghan people walk under election campaign hoardings and posters at a market in Kabul September 6, 2010. Afghanistan will hold parliamentary elections on September 18. Credit: Reuters/Fayaz Kabli By Tim Gaynor KABUL | Mon Sep 6, 2010 9:13am EDT KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban threats, shuttered polling centers and warnings of widespread fraud are clouding hopes for Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary election, a key test of an already fragile democracy, observers have warned. With the poll less than two weeks away, the U.N.-backed Electoral Complaints Commission said it has already received 1,503 complaints, ranging from public resources being given to preferred candidates to interference by government officials. Early signs for a smooth and fair process are not promising. "Things are getting worse. Many (politicians) are just after making themselves rich and working for their own interests," said Azizullah, a 32-year-old Kabul civil servant. "I do not want to vote, because I have lost my trust in the government, parliament and election under the current situation," he said. The election is a litmus test of stability in Afghanistan before U.S. President Barack Obama conducts a war strategy review in December that will examine the pace and scale of U.S. troop withdrawals from July 2011. Graft and cronyism are major concerns ahead of the vote after last year's fraud-marred presidential election in which a third of the votes for President Hamid Karzai were tossed out as fake. According to the government-appointed Independent Election Commission, preliminary results should be available four days after the vote but final results may not be out until October 31. Those dates depend on the number of complaints received, which promises to be high given the number already lodged and that 2,500 candidates are vying for 249 seats in the Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament. WARLORDS, MILITIAS Seventy-six candidates have already been disqualified, according to the IEC, for offences ranging from improper registration to links with warlords and private militias. "The parliamentary elections (have) to be a step forward, and my fear is that we might miss this opportunity once again, and it might turn into a curse," former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah said on Sunday. At about the same time Abdullah was speaking, the Taliban further clouded an already grim picture by issuing its first explicit threat to disrupt the poll, vowing to target foreign troops and then Afghans who take part. At least four candidates have been killed so far, according to the United Nations and government officials, and dozens of campaign workers wounded. Some of the attacks have been blamed on the Taliban and other insurgents. The Taliban mounted about 130 attacks against last year's election. While failing to disrupt the process significantly in much of the country, but voter turnout was low in the ethnic Pashtun south, where the Taliban are strongest. The threat of poor security has already forced the IEC to close 938 out of 6,835 polling centers across the country, potentially disenfranchising thousands of Afghans even though they will be able to vote in other centers. There are almost 150,000 foreign troops in Afghanistan but they will play a background role during the election, with security to be provided by Afghan police and soldiers. Still, violence is at its worst since the Taliban were ousted by U.S.-backed Afghan forces in late 2001, with military and civilian casualties at record levels. Despite the threats, Abdullah urged Afghans to vote. "Giving up on the democratic process will not get us anywhere, and the international community will not achieve any of their goals," he said. (Additional reporting by Sayed Salahuddin; Editing by Paul Tait and David Fox) World Afghanistan Comments See All Comments (1) | Post Comment Sep 06, 2010 11:22am EDT Afghanistan is an ungovernable nation. It belongs in an entirely different group of nations several steps below Pakistan, the Congo, Haiti and the Sudan – basically equivalent to Somalia. The U.S. plan to “build” a democracy has been flawed from the beginning. Before democracy can flourish, the issues of corruption, poverty, low educational levels, dark age feudalism, and religious fanaticism – Afghanistan’s primary gross national products – have to be addressed. That’s why we’ve been there for nine years and counting, conducting solid military operations within a cauldron of instability. In the future, the U.S. State Department needs to assess a country’s existing structures and determine, in advance, whether or not to proceed with political change. If a country, like Afghanistan, is deemed ungovernable, then we should go in, conduct military operations, and depart – period. You can’t build something from nothing no matter how many nails you hammer into the walls. If the foundation isn’t in place, the structure will eventually sag and collapse, with the minions scrambling to steal away the scraps. The collapse of Afghanistan is a guaranteed prediction. finneganG Report As Abusive See All Comments (1) Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Analyst Research Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Reuters on Facebook 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.

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