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Amidst mayhem and threats......an election?

Tomorrow [Thursday] sees Afghanistan hold its second election in recent years.

Whilst there are several candidates for the Presidency, the omens for the election are far from encouraging. Leaving aside the violence already occurring in the country - even in downtown Kabul - not to be overlooked is the Taliban which has openly threatened that if it sees those with purple marks on their finger [indicating that they have voted] that they will cut off that finger. Some incentive to go and vote!

In a piece headed "As Afghanistan Votes, Will the Taliban Win?" The NY Times has a selection of pieces from people in Afghanistan giving their perspective of the elction. Go here to read the 4 reports.

Meanwhile, over at The Nation Robert Dreyfuss, writing in "Karzai, the Pashtuns, and the Taliban" on the election says:

"The prospects for Afghanistan's election on Thursday are murky, at best.

The Taliban are threatening to disrupt the vote in areas south and east of Kabul, where they are strong, and say that they will take reprisals against anyone who votes. "Afghans must boycott the deceitful American project and head for the trenches of holy war," said a communique from the Taliban. The Taliban, which is overwhelmingly Pashtun, is apparently counting on its ability to persuade or intimidate Pashtuns to stay away from the polls, which could doom or weaken Karzai. An excellent analysis in the New York Times by Dexter Filkins notes that the Pashtun vote is critical to Karzai's chances on Thursday:

"Five years ago, Mr. Karzai rode to an election victory on a wave of support from his fellow Pashtuns, who make up about 40 percent of Afghanistan's population."

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