The pact will allow some 10,000 American troops to remain in the country after the withdrawal of NATO-led forces at the end of 2014.
The pact will allow some 10,000 American troops to remain in the country after the withdrawal of NATO-led forces at the end of 2014.
The vote marks the first democratic transition of power in Afghanistan – and an end to twelve turbulent years under the increasingly autocratic Karzai.
The presidential vote marks the first democratic transfer of power in Afghanistan, and will shape the country’s post-Karzai future, not to mention its trajectory once a U.S.-led military coalition withdraws by the end of the year.
Though the first round, held on April 5, was relatively violence-free, tensions are on the rise this time around as the Taliban accelerates its traditional summer offensive.
The front-runners — notably ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and former World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani — are expected to proceed to a run-off vote, tentatively scheduled to take place in mid June.
The outgoing president is feigning concern about his successor’s legitimacy by pushing his brother out of the upcoming presidential election.
Jockeying by entrenched elites to secure ethnic loyalties and keep populist rivals out of the already-crowded 2014 presidential field.
With his corrupt rival term-limited out of office, the favorite of Western elites hopes to patch together a potent electoral coalition that can overcome potential vote-rigging.