KABUL — Afghanistan’s main electoral body Wednesday released what were billed as the final results of September’s trouble-plagued parliamentary election. But as is so often the case here, “final” does not mean “finished.”
Quarrels about the outcome of the vote are likely to remain a prominent feature of the country’s political landscape in the weeks or months to come, further blurring an already clouded political picture.
That, in turn, raises larger questions about the conduct of the U.S.-led war, now in its 10th year, a conflict that appears to be yielding not only ambiguous battlefield results but a mixed sense among Afghans as to whether the foreign presence is doing more harm than good.
Although overall election results were released, the outcome in Ghazni, one of the country’s 34 provinces, was withheld because violence, intimidation and fraud were considered so rampant that officials decided a fair tally was impossible.
Even as the Independent Election Commission was announcing the official count, supporters of some candidates who had been disqualified days earlier by a watchdog body staged angry street demonstrations in Kabul, the capital, and elsewhere. No serious violence was reported, but simmering anger was palpable.
Meanwhile, confusion reigned over a claim by the country’s attorney general, Mohammad Ishaq Aloko — whose jurisdiction in electoral matters is altogether unclear — that he had ordered the suspension of two senior election officials while they were investigated on possible criminal charges.
At a news conference to announce the results, election officials insisted that domestic political pressure had played no role in the certified outcome. “There might have been shortcomings, but it was a great success for the people of Afghanistan,” said Fazal Ahmad Manawi, the election commission’s chairman.
In the Sept. 18 vote, about 2,500 candidates competed for seats in the wolesi jirga, or lower house of parliament. Over the past year, the parliament has been more aggressive in challenging some of the policy decisions of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Election officials said they would decide soon whether to hold a do-over vote in Ghazni, where the insurgency has grown markedly stronger over the past year. According to preliminary results, the Ghazni vote had resulted in a sweep by candidates who were members of the minority Hazara ethnic group, even though the province is overwhelmingly dominated by ethnic Pashtuns.
Western officials had hoped the parliamentary contest would help excise some of the taint of the presidential vote held 13 months earlier. Karzai ultimately emerged victorious, but nearly one-third of the ballots in the first round were tossed out due to fraud.
