VZCZCXRO0666
PP RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #2334/01 2241300
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121300Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0789
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0790

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002334 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL AF
SUBJECT: MINOR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES DECRY LACK OF 
TRANSPARENCY 
 
¶1. (U) At a meeting with fifteen minor presidential 
candidates at the Crystal Hotel, Ambassador Carney faced a 
barrage of complaints and concerns from the slate of 
candidates. Some even threatened to hold demonstrations or 
boycotts of the election if their concerns are not addressed. 
In response, Ambassador Carney re-affirmed America's 
commitment to partnering with Afghanistan to achieve free and 
fair elections and assured the group that the election would 
take place as planned on August 20. He urged candidates to 
consider the future of Afghanistan and their own interests in 
deciding on courses of action. End Summary. 
 
------------------------------- 
Elections Won't be Free and Fair 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The candidates, led by Mohammed Esmael Qasimyar, the 
first vice presidential candidate for Hedaiat Amin Arsallah, 
used their meeting with Ambassador Carney to lodge a series 
of complaints about the upcoming election. The chief 
complaints stemmed from the candidates' fears that the 
election would not be transparent, that President Karzai is 
abusing his power by having ministers and governors campaign 
for him, and that the IEC is not independent but controlled 
by Karzai cronies who will all land top jobs in the next 
administration. Candidates raised the issue of money in the 
campaign several times, and they also lobbed allegations that 
the top-tier candidates were spending millions on their 
campaigns, with no indication of where the money was coming 
from. Candidates claimed that international funding, 
including from NGOs, is being misused and that top candidates 
are also receiving money from drug smugglers and intelligence 
agencies. 
 
--------------------------- 
System Stacked Against Them 
--------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) As the election draws to a close, the minor 
candidates insisted that the international community had 
lavished attention on the top three candidates and had made a 
major mistake by not meeting with the other candidates. Some 
even alleged that the top candidates are using international 
assistance to fund their campaigns. When candidates host 
lavish campaign rallies with gifts and food for their 
supporters, no one questions where the money is coming from, 
they said. They blamed the IEC for turning a blind eye to the 
issue of money in the campaign. Further, they said that the 
IEC should be renamed because it is not independent, that it 
has been unresponsive to their concerns, and is instead 
working on behalf of certain candidates. The preeminence of 
the top three candidates in the eyes of the international 
community, they alleged, is damaging to the future of the 
country because the top tier are just warring amongst 
themselves and not providing any vision on how they will lead 
the country. 
 
----------------- 
Protests Promised 
----------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) In what appeared to be a half-hearted threat, the 
group asserted that if the IEC and international community 
fail to resolve the problems they outlined before election 
day, they are considering staging wide-scale demonstrations 
or even urging their supporters to boycott the election 
because they do not believe the elections will be free or 
fair. They demanded a guarantee that there will be full 
participation of the Afghan people on election day and that 
the attempted interference of neighboring countries in the 
election will be stymied. Dr. Mohammad Ali Nabizada, Ashraf 
Ghani's second vice presidential candidate, emphasized his 
fear that weapons are streaming across the borders to the 
north and west of Afghanistan, forecasting violence on 
election day sponsored by Afghanistan's neighbors. 
 
--------------------- 
Committed to August 20 
---------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) In response to the concerns raised, Ambassador 
Carney emphasized above all that the election will take place 
as planned on August 20. He said that the international 
community is here to act as Afghanistan's partner in the 
elections, but stressed that this is Afghanistan's election 
and that it is the Afghan people's responsibility to ensure 
the best possible election for the future of Afghanistan. 
Acknowledging the candidates' threat to boycott the election, 
Ambassador Carney stated that it is up to them to decide to 
participate in the election and help build a new future for 
Afghanistan or to stay out. He reminded them of the thirty 
 
KABUL 00002334  002 OF 002 
 
 
years of war the country has experienced, and how this 
election represents their future. In a plug for the ECC, 
Ambassador Carney encouraged candidates to bring their 
complaints to the ECC, which he said would soon be issuing 
public responses to many of the complaints filed so far. The 
ECC represents the future of fair elections in Afghanistan 
and all candidates should work to strengthen it, he argued. 
He addressed security concerns by saying that there is 
significant coordination being undertaken between 
international forces and the ANSF to provide security on 
election day. Fraud remains a top concern, he said, and he 
asserted that any election officials who perpetuate fraud 
will be breaking the law. While he acknowledged that some may 
try to get batches of ballots, claiming they are for the 
women of their household, he noted that the electoral 
authorities are aware of this illegal practice, and hoped 
such incidents would be few, also expressing his hope that 
people would begin to move away from voting on ethnic lines 
and more on issues. It is for the Afghan people to decide, he 
said, to create the conditions to make the elections free and 
fair. 
 
EIKENBERRY