One Small Step For Afghanistan

With all the talk of health care reform and Micheal Vick's return to the NFL, one story has gone woefully under reported in the mainstream press. Tomorrow is the presidential election in Afghanistan, perhaps the first meaningful election in the country's history. Hamid Karzai is the incumbent, and has been president of Afghanistan since the US installed him in the position in 2001. The presence of Western troops, the government's tolerance of the Taliban, and political corruption have been the major issues of the campaign.
Over 30 candidates have filed to unseat Karzai, and half the population, or fifteen million people, have registered to vote. If the winner, presumably Karzai, does not get 50% of the vote, a run-off would be held. Two televised debates have been already been held. The first was on July 23rd, and Karzai boycotted it because he perceived the network presenting the debate to be biased against his campaign. The next was on August 16th, and the main opposition candidate, Abdullah Abdullah, did not participate in that debate. This is not your typical election, however. There have been reports of ballots being delivered to remote villages by donkey. There are also various security concerns. More Coalition troops have died since March than in the first three years of the war. Polling places still have not been announced. In a country stuck in the 1800s and with the majority of the population illiterate, one has to think that this will have a negative impact on turnout. The UN has even reported cases of voter fraud, accusing Karzai of attempting to buy voter registration cards.
So, despite these hazards, the election will go forward as required. Hamid Karzai leads the (unreliable) polling with 44%. After helping the Mujaheddin, a predecessor to the Taliban, fight the Soviets in the 1980s, Karzai was allied with the Taliban in the '90s until they started to allow foreigners to operate training camps inside Afghanistan. Abdullah is the main challenger, currently getting 26% support in polling. Abdullah is the former foreign minister, and was a leading member of the Northern Alliance, which helped to oust the Taliban in 2001. Abdullah wishes to change to Afghanistan constitution to a parliamentary system. Ramazon Bashardot is third in polling with 10%. Bashardot is the only Shiite with any popular support in a mostly Sunni country. Bashardot was exiled under Taliban rule, and has no tribal affiliation. He is considered a crusader for human rights. Ashraf Ghani is the last candidate with any widespread support, but he only garners 6% in the most recent polling. Ghani is a former member of the World Bank, working on projects in Southeast Asia. He was also, according to the Financial Times, a candidate to replace Kofi Annan as Secretary General at the United Nations. Ghani is the former finance minister, and supports the creation of an All-Women's University. Ghani, who famously hired James "Ragin Cajun" Carville as a political consultant, has said of the elections, "It has been the largest seminar in my life, and I am the sole student."