Miliband admits Afghan poll difficulties
David Miliband admitted the security situation and the drawn-out conclusion of the first round of voting in Afghanistan “makes life more difficult” as British troops prepare to secure a second round next month.
After incumbent president Hamid Karzai accepted the need for a second round yesterday coalition forces are contemplating preparing a second round of voting to take place on November 7th, less than three weeks away.
Observers are suggesting it will be extremely difficult for the deciding presidential vote to take place with minimal preparation. In addition to the threat of attacks from the Taliban, replacing discredited electoral staff is expected to be challenging.
Nearly a third of initial votes were rejected because of problems with electoral fraud, stripping incumbent Hamid Karzai of an outright win.
“It is possible to have a credible election that provides a legitimate expression of the will of the Afghan people,” Mr Miliband told the Today programme this morning.
He said the first priority for the future of Afghanistan “must be a government with a coherent plan for the country” and called for an agenda to emerge out of the debates in the run-up to the November 7th vote.
“We need to ensure the legitimate expression of their will comes together through the interests of the whole country,” the foreign secretary added. “We’ve got to respect the Afghan processes.”
Turnout in the first round, held on August 20th, was between 25 per cent and 30 per cent, Mr Miliband said.
