KARZAI Calls for Early Elections, Sparks Power Struggle in Afghanistan. Election Guide.
Afghan President Hamid KARZAI announced on Sunday that the upcoming presidential elections will be held on April 28, considerably earlier than August 20, the date announced a month ago by the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). KARZAI's announcement now puts him at odds with the IEC, opposition parties, and even Washington, all of which had previously endorsed the August 20 election date. According to Afghanistan's constitution, KARZAI's presidential term ends this year on May 21, but a lack of trained electoral officials and the difficulty of distributing ballots and other materials across Afghanistan's rugged, mountainous territory via the country's limited infrastructure during the winter months may hamper the government's ability to have a new president elected before that date.� As a result KARZAI, parliament, and the IEC came to an informal agreement last fall to hold the presidential election in early autumn 2009, in order to give the government more time to prepare for the poll. However, no agreement was made regarding who should govern in the interim between the end of KARZAI's term and the election, and opposition parties argued that allowing KARZAI to remain in the presidency would violate the constitution and called on the President to step down after May 21. KARZAI's decision to advance the election date gives him a significant advantage over his opposition. Given the short campaign season, challengers will have little time to organize while KARZAI will enjoy the power of incumbency in his reelection campaign. But it is still unclear whether the earlier election date will hold. Afghanistan's electoral law requires the IEC to announce elections at least 140 days in advance of polling, far more days than it will have if the election is to be held on April 28.
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