KABUL — Defying Taliban threats to bomb polling stations and maim voters, millions of Afghans successfully cast ballots Thursday in a presidential election that was relatively peaceful and orderly despite widespread predictions of violence and fraud.
The day was marred by reports of low voter turnout in many areas, however, which could complicate efforts to declare the results legitimate. With no official tabulations expected for several weeks and a runoff likely between President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, Afghans now face the prospect of a drawn-out period of political tension and uncertainty.
Officials said nine civilians and 18 members of Afghan security forces were killed during scattered incidents of election-day violence, including a foiled attack on a police station in the capital. Officials said they also thwarted numerous suicide attacks planned for Kabul in recent days and that security was effective in major cities and towns.
In rural areas across the country, more than 800 polling stations out of about 7,000 were closed because of a lack of security, but there were no reports of major insurgent attacks. Taliban leaders had threatened to launch suicide attacks against what they decried as a “sham” and “infidel” election, but those strikes did not materialize.
“The Afghan people dared rockets, bombs and intimidation to come out to vote,” Karzai, who has led Afghanistan for the past 7 1/2 years, told reporters at his palace Thursday afternoon. “We regret the loss of civilian lives, but we are grateful for the sacrifices people made. It went very, very well.”
International officials also expressed satisfaction with the election.
“So far, every prediction of disaster has turned out to be wrong,” Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, said as he took a tour of several polling stations in Kabul.
Nevertheless, a combination of fear and disillusionment with politics kept many people away from the polls, especially ethnic Pashtun voters in southern and eastern provinces where Taliban insurgents are an intimidating presence. More than 15 million people registered to vote nationwide.
There was much higher turnout and less violence in the northern provinces, which are dominated by other ethnic groups, potentially creating a regional imbalance in voting results and raising questions about the legitimacy of the election. While there were no major complaints of fraud, international election observers said it will take time to determine how many people actually voted or to what degree the voting was marred by fraud and violence.
Preliminary results aren’t expected until Saturday.
