Tomorrow is the presidential election in Afghanistan, after it has been postponed several times due to problems with the voting process, according to the country's electoral authority. The last thing it was postponed was last spring. In recent weeks, many people in the country have been killed in various attacks for which the Taliban movement has taken responsibility.
The Swedish Afghan Committee Secretary-General Andreas Stefansson was in the country two weeks ago.
"What I met in Kabul were people who talked most about the lack of agreement between the Taliban and the United States," he says.
It was in early September that US President Donald Trump blew off the summit with Taliban leader and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. For almost a year, the US and the Taliban have been negotiating a possible agreement.
It has been about allowing the US to withdraw its troops from the country and the Taliban cutting ties with international terror. The idea was that the agreement would also include a cease-fire agreement.
- Then it also turned out that the agreement that was underway did not have a ceasefire. People were very disappointed. At the same time, they were relieved that the agreement had not come to fruition, as they wanted it to include a path to peace, says Andreas Stefansson.
Low turnoutAndreas Stefansson believes that turnout will be low. A total of 13 million are eligible to vote, but nine million of them have registered to vote. In practice, it is believed that just over three million will be able or willing to vote.
- This was what it looked like in the parliamentary elections last year. It is partly to do with the fact that the Taliban actually control a large part of the countryside, he says.
One third of all polling stations, mainly in rural areas, will be closed.
- It will be a messy choice and many attacks. There will be many who dare not go and vote. It is an uncertain time that they go to meet, says Stefansson.