Afghan poll derided as 'farce'

The shadow of al-Qaida fell across Afghanistan after Osama bin Laden’s top deputy called the country’s landmark elections a farce, and the US military commander here warned of more Taliban rebel attacks.

Trucks, helicopters and even donkeys were carrying an estimated 6 million ballots for counting after the country’s first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years.

Counting began in all but two centres today, said Aleem Siddique, a spokesman for the Afghan-UN election board.

Afghan and international leaders have hailed Sunday’s voting as a major step toward stability following the ousting of the hard-line Taliban rulers by a US-led coalition for refusing to hand over bin Laden after the September 11 attacks.

Emerging from a quarter-century of war, Afghanistan adopted a constitution and elected a president last October.

But celebrations have been tempered by projections that turnout for the latest poll was just over 50% – down from 70% in the presidential vote.

All ballots for the elections of a parliament and provincial councils were expected to reach 34 counting centres across the rugged country by Thursday.

Polling stations reported nearly 20 small-arms attacks on Sunday, and a few stations had to close temporarily due to gunfire that wounded three voters.

But no major attacks took place on election day, despite fears raised by a rejuvenated Taliban insurgency that has left more than 1,200 people dead in the last six months.

“We can expect more fighting in the weeks ahead,” said Lt Gen Karl Eikenberry, commander of the 20,000-strong US-led coalition force in Afghanistan.

He said coalition troops, Afghan security forces and 11,000 NATO peacekeepers “will continue to defend the election process through the seating of the new parliament and beyond.”

“We are staying on the offensive against the enemies of Afghanistan, and we will continue that process throughout the fall and throughout the winter,” Eikenberry told journalists.

He said the US is committed to helping Afghanistan with security and reconstruction so that terrorists cannot use the country as a base, like al-Qaida did under the Taliban.

Al-Qaida No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahri derided the elections in a five-minute videotape aired last night on Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV, saying they were “nothing but a farce” held “under the terror of warlords” – a reference to factional leaders in the country’s devastating 1990s civil war, which opened the way for the Taliban takeover.

“Thieves and warlords are controlling affairs in the country, where international monitors can’t observe more than 10 constituencies even if they wanted to,” said al-Zawahri, bin Laden’s deputy.

Both men are believed to be hiding along the rugged Pakistan-Afghan border, where they eluded US capture in 2001.

Al-Zawahri’s comments appeared aimed to play on Afghan voters’ anger that some strongmen, though accused of human rights abuses, were allowed to run for the legislature – one factor that observers said may have contributed to lower turnout.

Others included distrust of politicians and fears of violence.

Early today, two rockets struck a cultural centre and a home in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, injuring a police officer and a girl, the US military said.

Jalalabad has counting centres for three provinces, including the two where counting had not started today, due to what Siddique said were security-related and logistical reasons.

Complete provisional election results are not expected for at least two weeks. Officials hope to have certified results by October 22.