Afghans go to polls tomorrow

KABUL: Afghans will go to the polls Saturday to vote in a presidential election that a few expect will have much effect in bringing peace to the war-torn country.

With the Taliban threatening violence against anyone who participates, and concern that the widespread fraud, which blighted previous elections will resurface, analysts fear a low turnout will seriously undermine the result.

"The security threats, coupled with a trust issue in the election’s transparency, may translate into a very low turnout," Afghanistan analyst Ahmad Saeedi said.

"That would undermine the legitimacy of the election process and any future government that may come out of it."

The stakes are high. Whatever the turnout, Afghans are choosing a leader who will almost certainly have to negotiate with the Taliban at some point -- even though the hardline Islamist group is doing everything it can to undermine the process.

Eighteen names were originally on the ballot, but the poll is considered a two-horse race between current President Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, the country´s chief executive.

Both claimed victory in the 2014 election — a vote so tainted by fraud and violence that it led to a constitutional crisis and forced then-US President Barack Obama to push for a compromise that saw Abdullah awarded the subordinate role.

Five years of bitter rivalry later, the parallels are unsettling, yet nothing suggests President Donald Trump would be willing to play such a role in any fresh disputes.

That decision boosted what has been a fairly lacklustre election campaign, strengthening Ghani´s argument the winner needs a strong mandate to negotiate with the Taliban to finally achieve a lasting peace.

But a low turnout is still a more likely result.

With the Taliban controlling or influencing vast swathes of Afghanistan, it was impossible to hold rallies in many parts of the country.

Campaigning was also hampered by violence from the first day, when Ghani´s running mate was targeted in a bomb-and-gun attack that left at least 20 dead.

Pakistan announced that it was tightening security along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during the elections.

Meanwhile, Afghan authorities imposed a partial lockdown on the capital banning trucks from the city´s streets in a bid to prevent suicide bombings ahead of presidential elections on Saturday.

The election is at high risk of violence and the Taliban have already unleashed a slew of suicide attacks across Afghanistan targeting campaign offices, rallies and other election-related targets. The interior ministry said in a statement that security forces were beefing up their presence at checkpoints into the city and would turn trucks back.

“The Afghan police forces are manning the entry gates, and are ordered to prevent the entry of trucks into Kabul from today 5:00 pm (1230 GMT),” the statement read.

The move comes the same day as the Taliban issued a statement reiterating previous threats that anyone voting was at risk.

The Taliban “intend to disrupt this fake process of the American invaders and their few servile slaves by attacking all security personnel... and by targeting (polling) offices and centers,” the insurgents said.

They went on to warn Afghans “to stay away from polling stations on election day and not throw themselves into danger”.

Truck bombs are a constant danger in Afghanistan and carry an explosive yield far greater than a car bomb.

In May 2017, a massive truck bomb exploded near the German embassy, killing more than 150 people and wounding hundreds more.