Afghans Line Up for Last-Minute Voter Registration

Afghans lined up by the hundreds Tuesday up in a last-minute rush to register for voting cards, a sign that interest in national elections is high despite fears of violence.

The Taliban have vowed to “use all force” to disrupt the balloting and the terrorists already have staged several high-profile attacks in the Afghan capital of Kabul in recent weeks. But men and women queuing on the last day of registration said they won’t let the threats keep them away from the polls on Saturday as Afghanistan experiences its first democratic transfer of power.

President Hamid Karzai, who has ruled the country since shortly after the Taliban were ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2001, is constitutionally barred from a third term.

Shopkeeper Ghulam Abbas, 65, said Karzai didn’t keep his promises to make the country better.

“I hope the corruption is ended and security is improved,” he said as he stood in line to get a new voter card. He lost his in a move. Women, many holding children and wearing the all-encompassing burqa, also turned out to register.

The stakes are high as Afghans choose a new leader who will guide the country as foreign combat troops prepare to withdraw by the end of this year. Karzai has refused to sign a security pact that would allow thousands of international forces to stay beyond that deadline to help train and advise Afghan forces, leaving the decision to his successor. All three front-runners have said they would sign the deal.

This article appeared in print on page 7 of the April 2nd, 2014 edition of Hamodia.