The posters on the wall above (a shot I took just around the corner from my house) represent just a fraction of the total number of candidates running in the 2009 presidential elections. Since there is no limit to the number of candidates who can run, and nomination by a political party is not necessary, voters will have an astounding forty-one candidates to choose from come August 20th.The only candidate thought to have a chance to beat Karzai come August is the widely popular Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a former Foreign Minister in Karzai's government. Although he is the clear favorite among people in Kabul, most here still feel that victory by Karzai is inevitable, not least because of perceived American favoritism. Perhaps to counter that perception Ambassador Eikenberry has been making a point to appear publicly with a number of major candidates, including Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani.
Last spring I wrote a short election summary for the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, DC. If you are interested you can download and read the file here.
...I guess this means my good friend Ali Jalali isn't faring so well? (and by good friend, I mean I once had to call him on his cell phone - on my boss's behalf.) (: Oh, well, not everyone can make themselves a favorite of the American Establishment.
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