Afghans at dawn of new day as they go to the polls

TODAY millions of Afghans will go to the polls to select their president for the next five years.

After a month of campaigning, and months of planning, Afghans across this rugged land and refugees in neighbouring Pakistan and Iran, will choose among 18 candidates. For the first time in their history, Afghans will select a national leader by secret ballot, and with the full support of the international community.

Four years ago, such a situation was almost undreamed of. The Taliban had their grip firmly on the levers of power in Afghanistan, and tolerated no opposition or dissent.

Human rights were trampled underfoot; women’s rights were virtually non-existent.

Children were not free to study, and women and girls were confined to their homes. Investment - in the economy, in basic infrastructure, education and health care - was at a standstill.

Today, the Taliban are gone, and the Afghan people stand at the dawn of a new day. Thanks to their hard work, and some targeted assistance from the United Nations and more than 48 nations and friends of Afghanistan, the Afghan people will chart their own political destiny.

At more than 4,900 polling centres across the country, Afghans will cast their ballots. Provincial authorities will hear voters’ complaints of any irregularities. International and domestic monitors will be present.

Votes will be tallied at counting centres in the presence of candidate representatives and the media.

The interim election commission will compile the results and publish the final tally.

These elections, while extremely important, are part of an ongoing and irreversible process.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Afghans have come together to chart their political future with the Bonn Accords, establish an Interim Government with the Emergency Loya Jirga, and adopt a forward looking and progressive constitution at the Constitutional Loya Jirga.

Next spring will see another important step - parliamentary elections, followed by the seating of parliament, and then the ongoing strengthening of local institutions and the deepening of civic education. All of these steps embody the consolidation of democracy.

The Afghan government, with the support of the international community, has started to nurture grassroots democracy at the local level. Its leaders are encouraging the organisation of village and district councils to form a vital local government base upon which Afghans can build a moderate, stable and democratic state and society.

These and other efforts will draw upon strong Afghan traditions for local empowerment through councils and consensus.

It will take time to build the political institutions needed for a modernising state and to educate the next generation in the habits of political self determination and support for good governance and strong democracy.

But Afghanistan already has the most important component for making this process work - the burning desire of its people, after decades of war and devastation, to build a democracy and govern themselves.

Efforts by millions of Afghans to make the long trek to registration offices, to wait patiently in queues, to brave the threats of the Taliban and others to kill them for seeking self-government - that represents political self-determination of the most fundamental sort.

When the Taliban attacked election workers, Afghans responded - by swiftly apprehending the perpetrators. When insurgents hijacked a bus, and murdered Afghans who had registered to vote, Afghans responded - by registering to vote in record numbers.

When the Afghan government asked the international community to increase security in more dangerous parts of the country to improve the climate for elections, the international community heeded that call.