Karzai Signs Second Election Law, Clearing Way for Presidential Vote Next Year
Source: New York Times
President Hamid Karzai on Saturday approved the second of two elections laws, setting the stage for a presidential vote to be held next year. But the deaths of at least 14 people in bombings offered a bloody reminder of the obstacles Afghanistan faces as the country prepares for what will be its first peaceful transition of power as the United States pulls back.
The United States and its allies, who pay the vast majority of Afghanistan’s bills, have made it clear that they expect the presidential election to be held next year, and would prefer that it take place on time. The vote is scheduled for April 5, and diplomats have said Afghanistan must hold an “acceptable” election — that is, a vote considered legitimate enough to avoid a political crisis — if it expects to see billions of dollars in aid pledges materialize in the coming years.
Until last week, when Parliament passed the two laws needed to govern the election and the commissions that are to run the vote, there were growing concerns about whether the election would be held on schedule, if at all.
But Mr. Karzai last week signed the law governing the election commissions, the more contentious of the two laws, and on Saturday he signed the one outlining how the vote would be held, according to a statement from the presidential palace.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/world/asia/karzai-signs-second-election-law-clearing-way-for-presidential-vote-next-year.html
