Hamid Karzai

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'Indelible' Ink Washes Off, Afghan Candidates Charge

(Newser) - The supposedly indelible ink used to mark voters' fingers in today's Afghanistan election rubs off easily with household detergent, raising fears of widespread ballot fraud. Campaigners for Abdullah Abdullah, the main opposition candidate, found they could remove the ink with minimal effort, and a Guardian journalist scrubbed his finger clean...

Afghan Polls Open as Race Tightens

In test of country's stability, Karzai faces Taliban violence, 34 challengers

(Newser) - As polls open in Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai's chances of claiming enough of the vote to avoid a runoff no longer look like a sure thing, the New York Times reports. Voter intimidation by the Taliban, a surge in popularity by one of Karzai's opponents, and limited election monitoring could conspire...

Your Guide to the Afghan Election

Profiles of the top 4 candidates in a turbulent country

(Newser) - Torn by war and insurgency, Afghanistan votes for its next president tomorrow, choosing from among 37 candidates. NPR profiles the frontrunners:
  • Hamid Karzai. The incumbent, a member of Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group, was elected in 2005 amid a swell of international backing. But lately the former activist’s popularity
...

Taliban Battle Police in Kabul on Election Eve

(Newser) - Taliban fighters wearing explosive-laced vests stormed a government-run bank in central Kabul today, precipitating an hours-long shootout with Afghan forces 24 hours before the presidential election. A Taliban source said that 20 militants had entered Kabul, a day after a suicide bomb and a rocket attack rocked the capital. Afghan...

Afghanistan Forbids Reports on Election Violence

Karzai government says gag will 'control the negative impact of the media'

(Newser) - The Afghan government ordered journalists to stay silent on any insurgent attacks that may happen during the presidential election Thursday, the Guardian reports. The gag order is necessary in order “to encourage people and raise their morale to come out and vote,” said a spokesman for President Karzai....

Taliban Peace Talks Dominate Afghan Race

(Newser) - As Afghans prepare to vote on Thursday, the top issue for all the leading presidential candidates remains whether and how to negotiate with the Taliban. Hamid Karzai, still predicted to win, has made vocal calls for negotiations but has done little so far in office, and Taliban insurgents are imperiling...

Taliban Threaten to Mutilate Afghan Voters

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai's battle for reelection on Thursday is facing a significant hurdle: threats by the Taliban to mutilate anyone who shows up at the polls. Insurgents are strongest in Pashtun regions, normally a Karzai stronghold, and in one town a group of Taliban fighters told citizens anyone who votes will...

Afghanistan Legalizes Starving Wives Who Refuse Sex

(Newser) - Afghan lawmakers have passed a new law requiring women to submit to their husbands' sexual demands or be starved, reports the BBC. The new law is an amended version of a bill that forced women to have sex with their husbands at least every four days, and completely removed a...

Prez Hopefuls Offer Change Afghanistan Can Believe In

Candidates mimic Obama campaign

(Newser) - Which presidential candidate has a lock on the words "hope" and "change"? These days, it's Afghan challenger Abdullah Abdullah, whose Obamaesque website—complete with scrolling news feeds, photo and video galleries, and social networking links—exhorts voters to "join the campaign to change Afghanistan." As...

US Said to Press Secret Afghan Election Deal

Holbrooke allegedly talked to candidate about dropping out

(Newser) - With two weeks to go before the Afghanistan election, President Hamid Karzai is trying to cut a deal with a fellow Pashtun to help knock his main challenger out of the race. The Independent reports that American envoy Richard Holbrooke and the US ambassador have pushed for the deal, which...

Afghan Reality TV Election Better Than the Real One

(Newser) - Afghanistan’s real presidential race has been a dull, somewhat depressing affair, with little viable opposition to incumbent Hamid Karzai—who one Western diplomat labeled “unpopular and unbeatable”—but the reality TV version is another story entirely, Time reports. The Candidate pits six young Afghans against each other...

Karzai Looks Vulnerable in Afghan Election

President remains in shadows, relying on powerful connections

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai’s stranglehold on the presidency of Afghanistan may be slipping, the Washington Post reports. Though no one is expected to beat him outright in the Aug. 20 election, he may fall short of the 50.01% of the vote needed to win. That would trigger a runoff, and...

Carville to Advise Karzai Challenger

Says move shouldn't be seen as US looking for change in Afghan leadership

(Newser) - James Carville is headed to Kabul to advise one of Hamid Karzai’s challengers in Afghanistan’s upcoming election, Bloomberg reports. Carville has close ties to Hillary Clinton, but says the move shouldn’t be seen as a sign the Obama administration is pushing for a leadership change. “I...

Ravaged by War, Bitter Afghans Sneak Into Europe

Conditions aren't much better, but youth want escape from war, death

(Newser) - Fed up with years of war and shaky government, young Afghans are forking over their life savings to be smuggled into Europe, the New York Times reports. An American-led invasion once inspired optimism, but 18,000 residents sought asylum in Europe last year, nearly double the total in 2007. “...

Karzai to Taliban: Please Vote
Karzai to Taliban:
Please Vote
Jun 27, 2009 4:51 AM CDT

Karzai to Taliban: Please Vote

Afghan prez urges militants to participate in election, not attack it

(Newser) - The president of Afghanistan has urged members of the Taliban to vote at the polls instead of attacking them in the country’s upcoming election, AFP reports. Incumbent Hamid Karzai said in a press conference today the Taliban should "vote for the president they want" in the Aug. 20...

Afghan Prez Squeezes Out Opponents
Afghan Prez Squeezes Out Opponents
analysis
Jun 25, 2009 9:06 AM CDT

Afghan Prez Squeezes Out Opponents

Unpopular Karzai has horse-traded his way to likely reelection

(Newser) - Afghanistan’s president isn’t popular with his people—in a recent poll, just 31% said they would vote for him—but he’ll probably win an August election anyway, Dexter Filkins reports in the New York Times. Hamid Karzai, in power for 8 years, is blamed for widespread corruption...

US Cuts Deal on Central Asia Military Base

Troops must leave, but base will help Afghanistan mission

(Newser) - The US has agreed to more than triple the rent it pays for use of a key air base in Kyrgyzstan to ship non-lethal military supplies to Afghanistan under a deal approved today, reports the AP. The accord over the Manas Air Base comes four months after the Central Asian...

US Envoy Mulls Job as Afghan 'CEO'

(Newser) - George W. Bush’s ambassador to Afghanistan is considering taking a powerful, unelected position in Hamid Karzai’s government, the New York Times reports. Zalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born US citizen, had considered running against Karzai for president, but missed the filing deadline. Senior American and Afghan officials say Karzai has...

Karzai's Brother Threatened Me: US Reporter
Karzai's Brother Threatened Me: US Reporter
FIRST PERSON
May 11, 2009 1:04 PM CDT

Karzai's Brother Threatened Me: US Reporter

Questions on alleged involvement in Afghan drug trade enrage him

(Newser) - It turns out Ahmed Wali Karzai is a bit touchy about his alleged ties to Afghanistan’s drug trade. When McClatchy reporter Tom Lasseter tried to interview the president’s brother about the allegations, he said they were part of a political plot against his brother. But when Lasseter began...

Obama Praises Afghan, Pakistan Commitments

Delicate diplomacy ends with unified resolve to fight militants

(Newser) - President Obama said he got the commitments he wanted today from the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan to more aggressively fight militants gaining power and sowing violence inside their countries' borders. The high-stakes diplomacy had Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari meeting with officials separately and together. Looming...

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