Afghan elections 'undermined by rebel violence'

Taliban rebel violence and intimidation by warlords will undermine landmark legislative elections in Afghanistan this weekend, but they are still likely to go ahead without major disruptions, a human rights organisation said today.

“The Afghan people are clearly eager to participate in elections that will help them move away from the rule of the gun,” said Sam Zarifi, deputy director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch.

But there is “an underlying climate of fear among many voters and candidates, especially in remote, rural areas”, he said.

Taliban rebels have stepped up attacks in the lead-up to the polls, leaving more than 1,200 people dead.

The New York-based rights group said in a statement the violence had created a “climate of fear”.

Sunday’s elections are the final formal step toward democracy on a path laid out after US-led forces ousted the Taliban in 2001.

Presidential elections last October entrenched Hamid Karzai as the nation’s leader.