The Washington Post - 26.08.2019

A10 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.MONDAY, AUGUST 26 , 2019

BY PAMELA CONSTABLE

kabul — As 10 months of
U.S.-Taliban peace talks enter
their final stage, President
Ashraf Ghani is doubling down
on his determination to hold a
presidential election in five
weeks, as scheduled, while aides
are hurriedly prepping negotia-
tors to meet with Taliban leaders
even sooner if a deal is
reached with U.S. officials.
Ghani, who is seeking a sec-
ond five-year term, has rejected
concerns raised by critics, who
say peace is a higher priority
than elections, and politics can-
not be allowed to interfere in the
country’s first real chance to end
an 18-year war that has cost
hundreds of thousands of lives.
Ghani’s government is not a
party to the U.S.-Taliban talks.
The negotiations entered their
ninth round Friday in Qatar, and
both sides said they hope to
work out the final issues soon.
Under a draft agreement, the
United States would withdraw
5,000 troops in coming months
and could pull out 9,000 more by
next year. The Taliban, in return,
would cut ties with al-Qaeda.
Still unclear is whether the
insurgents would agree to a
permanent cease-fire and to
talks with the government. A
Taliban spokesman said Satur-
day the agreement would be
completed after discussions on
implementation and “some tech-
nical points.” Both sides rejected
reports Saturday that they had
agreed to form an interim gov-
ernment in Kabul.
Ghani said last week he would
not accept a delay in the Sept. 28
polls even if the insurgents were
to announce a cease-fire. The
Taliban, he told ToloNews TV,
“are a part of this country, but
they are not the determinant of
the fate of this country.” He said
his job as president is “to save
the Islamic Republic of Afghani-
stan... to save the system at any
cost.”

The president’s comments

came as national election offi-

cials announced that at least

2,000 of about 7,400 polling

stations will not open on elec-

tion day because they cannot be

protected. The Taliban

has threatened to attack election

sites across the country, and

most of the stations that will not

open are in insurgent-plagued

provinces. The Taliban controls

nearly half of the nation’s 400

districts.

Critics have accused Ghani, a

70-year-old former World Bank

official, of putting his political

ambitions ahead of the public’s

overwhelming desire for peace.

Some say he wants to domi-

nate the intra-Afghan peace

talks, which are planned to start

after the United States and the

Taliban reach a deal, because he

has been sidelined from the

U.S.-Taliban talks at the insis-

tence of the insurgents. The

Afghan-to-Afghan talks will be

aimed at framing a future pow-

er-sharing arrangement.

“The president who repre-

sents his nation needs to be

flexible and listen to their de-

mands... not to act as dictators

do,” the Afghanistan Times

wrote Saturday.

“What is most important for

people is a lasting peace,” the

newspaper opined. “We can hold

elections later,” when stability

returns and more voters can

turn out to choose their next

leader.

Aides to Ghani said he be-

lieves the government must en-

ter talks with the Taliban with a

strong mandate, which only elec-

tions can provide. Ghani’s term

ended in May but was extended

by the Supreme Court.

Aides said he is determined to

protect the democratic rights

and institutions built since a

U.S.-led force overthrew the Tali-

ban in 2001.

The insurgents want to create

an Islamist emirate.

“For a lot of us, what’s at stake

is the survival of the Republic,”

said Nader Nadery, a senior aide

to the president. With most

candidates running on a peace

platform, even an election with

low turnout is “better than an

extended term with no man-

date,” he said.

“We don’t have the luxury of

saying, ‘Let’s postpone the elec-

tions to get more credibility.’ ”

Nadery said the government

has been working quickly to

prepare for talks with the Tali-

ban, which could come within

weeks if a deal is struck with the

United States. A small group of

delegates is being trained in the

art of negotiation, and an array

of political leaders have been

named to a consultative council.

Still, many Afghans fear a

hasty U.S. withdrawal will leave

their leaders with little leverage

to pressure the insurgents. On

Saturday, a Taliban spokesman

tweeted a video showing the

chief Taliban negotiator telling a

gathering that U.S. forces are “on

the run” and will leave very soon.

“Americans are facing defeat,”

the negotiator said. “Afghanistan

will be free again.”

Ghani is facing 16 contenders,

led by his government’s former

chief executive, Abdullah Abdul-

lah.

His strongest rival, former

national security adviser Hanif

Atmar, has quit the race.

Ghani is expected to win, but

Abdullah showed some strength

on Sunday with a boisterous

rally in the capital that drew

several thousand women and

key ethnic Hazara leaders who

had previously supported At-

mar.

“We are seeing a revolution

here today,” Babur Farahmand,

one of Abdullah’s two running

mates, told the cheering crowd.

Today’s Afghan women, he

said, “don’t want to be window

dressing. They want to be active

in politics and all fields.... We

will be with you!”

Some critics have accused the

president of unfairly using the

power of his office and the purse,

such as offering people senior

posts and advisory roles and

spending lavishly on his cam-

paign, to enhance his prospects

of reelection.

Some say his administration

has too much power to sway

election officials, who are techni-

cally independent.

Ghani has rejected the charg-

es while embarking on a high-

profile campaign that includes

TV ads asking the voters to “trust

me again” and rallies in far-flung

provinces. The capital has been

plastered with giant posters of

Ghani’s image, including one on

a 30-foot-high blast wall that

shows the former Johns Hopkins

professor wearing a white tribal

turban.

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As U.S.-Taliban deal nears, Afghan leader is set on vote

AFGHAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani wants elections to proceed despite security concerns that will keep over a quarter of polling places closed.

Ghani’s insistence on

holding election risks

peace efforts, critics say

“For a lot of us, what’s at stake

is the survival of the Republic.”

Nader Nadery, senior aide to President Ashraf Ghani

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Live at Th e Washington Post with National political reporter Robert Costa

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