KABUL (Pajhwok): Electioneering for the Sept 28 presidential election took to an unexcited start as only three hopefuls addressed campaign events in capital Kabul during the first three days and a few launched canvassing in some provinces of the country.
The presidential election campaigns began across the country on Sunday and will last two months.
Eighteen individuals including Mohammad Ashraf Ghani and Dr. Abdullah Abdullah are in the run for the September 28 election.
On the first day of the campaign, only Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah and Enayatullah Hafiz held their electioneering programs in Kabul.
However, the rest of the candidates are yet to address campaign gathering in Kabul or provinces during the past two days.
Pajhwok Afghan News correspondents in provinces reported that a limited number of portraits of Ashraf Ghani, Abdullah and Mohammad Hanif Atmar could be seen on billboards in Kabul and in a few provinces.
Pajhwok correspondents in Samangan, Balkh, Bamyan, Kunduz, Faryab, Nangarhar, Badakhshan, Nimroz, Jawzjan, Daikundi, Paktia, Khost and Kunar provinces say only a limited number of billboards carry pictures of Ghani and Atmar and that too only in capitals of the provinces.
Reporters in other provinces say there are no signs of presidential candidates’ electioneering there.
The reasons of lukewarm campaigns
Mohammad Hakim Torsan, a presidential candidate, said, “Our campaigns are spontaneous, we are not land grabbers or involved in corruption to give people money and food, we want an end to the culture of giving money or food to people as part of campaign, we want to tell the people that your vote is important so do not sell it for a thousand afghanis.”
He said he had the plan to explain his programs to people but he would avoid gatherings in luxury hotels or places where he would spend money.
Torsan said he would not open his offices in provinces but would travel there to meet people.
When asked why he did not display his portraits on billboards in Kabul, he said his team was working on it and the portraits would be installed portraits in parts of the city.
However, Noor Rahman Liwal, another presidential candidate, said he did not like installing portraits.
He also said he would not organize programs and events where he should spend money or give people food.
“I want to be among people and the people choose me based on my programs, not based on the money I should distribute to them,” he said.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) says each candidate is permitted to spend up to 442 million afghanis on their electioneering programs.
Some people in Kabul and provinces say the public have lost trust in elections and they do not show interest to take part in election programs.
Haji Sikandar, a resident of Baghlan province, said, “Billboards or other campaigns signs of candidates have not been seen so far in our province, people evince little interested to join any candidate.”
Jalil Mayar, a resident of Herat province, said that the weak electioneering showed the candidates lacked programs.
Election oversight institutes say the reason of lukewarm electioneering is insecurity and candidates’ lack of trust in election transparency.
Yousuf Rashid, head of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FFEFA), said that there were many reasons of the weak election campaign.
He said insecurity and recent attack on the office of vice-presidential candidate in Kabul, economic problems and ongoing peace talks were among reasons that affected electioneering programs.
“Candidates are still unsure about the election and they believe the poll would probably be delayed due to a possible peace deal, some candidates doubt transparency in the election,” he said.
mds/ma