US envoy Richard Holbrooke said Friday he expected fewer problems with the November 7 presidential run-off election in Afghanistan than with the fraud-tainted first round in August. Holbrooke, special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan for President Barack Obama's administration, also said he is in contact with pro-democracy groups about sending observers to Afghanistan for the new elections.
"It is reasonable to hope that there will be less irregularities this time, for several reasons," Holbrooke told reporters. "One, there are only two candidates. Two, there's the experience factor. Three, the international community, including the forces under General (Stanley) McChrystal's command, are going to go all out to help make this a success." He added that McChrystal will have more troops to deploy than he had on August 20 when the first round of elections was held.
He also said he has been in contact with the National Democratic Institute and the International Republican Institute, organisations that seek to promote democracy, to see if they will send observers. "They're trying to get up new observer missions," he said. "But I'm not going to predict what's going to happen. I don't think predicting things in Afghanistan is such a great idea." Many observers fear that a second round run-off on November 7 will be plagued by the same problems of fraud, low-turnout and Taliban violence that hit the first poll on August 20.
The snow already blanketing parts of Afghanistan is a further complication and has strengthened calls for a postponement of the vote or a power-sharing deal between President Hamid Karzai and his challenger Abdullah Abdullah. Karzai this week conceded to a run-off, after investigations found around a third of his votes in the initial poll were fraudulent.
His share was knocked below the threshold of 50 percent needed for victory by investigations into allegations of widespread fraud by the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission. The United Nations, which supported and bankrolled the elections, budgeted almost 380 million dollars for the first and a potential second round, with scores of experts brought in to ensure a smooth and credible process.
Holbrooke said he looked forward to working with Karzai if he is re-elected on November 7, dismissing reports he had poor relations with him. "They're fine. They're correct. They're appropriate. I speak to him on behalf of my government, and he speaks as president of the country. I respect him," Holbrooke said. Holbrooke said he plans to visit both Afghanistan and Pakistan soon, but could not go into details because Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also plans to visit Pakistan soon.
Holbrooke said the United States is "very impressed with the Pakistani resolve" in their own war against Islamist extremists who Clinton has warned pose an increasing threat to the authority of the state. He praised the military offensives the Pakistani army mounted earlier this year in the Swat Valley and now in South Waziristan. "They know what the stakes are. And having spent a lot of time with General (Ashfaq) Kiyani and his colleagues, I know how determined they are," Holbrooke said.