Elections in Afghanistan
This weekend, Australia was not the only country to go to the polls, and as we lined up on Saturday to do out civic duty, across the other side of the globe, people in Afghanistan were following suit. While the country’s first ever-democratic election was hailed as a victory for freedom by the US, which invaded the country targeting the Taliban after the attacks on the American World Trade Centre in 2001 – it wasn’t without controversy. Allegations of voting irregularities, and tales of people being able to cast their ballot several times have marred the event, prompting the UN to agree to conduct an independent inquiry into voter fraud. While US-backed acting President Hamid Karzai is widely expected to win at the polls, not much is known about the other candidates. Emergency Programs Coordinator with Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, Jaffer Nurmohamed, says the elections are a significant first step for the Afghani people, but there’s still a long way to go.