-- The vote count continues, as does the investigation into hundreds of claims of vote fraud. Final preliminary results are expected on July 2, and final results on July 22.
-- Many media refrained from reporting violence during the vote, but officials said June 15 that more than 270 Taliban attacks were recorded, resulting in the deaths of 50 civilians.
-- In one attack, a roadside bomb exploded beside a minibus that was carrying Afghan election workers home, killing 10 adults and a child.
-- Taliban militants severed the voting fingers of 11 voters in Herat Province.
-- The Independent Electoral Commission initially said that there were signs that voter turnout exceeded 7 million, putting it roughly on par with the first-round vote in April.
-- Officials said that, of those who turned out, 38 percent were women and 62 percent were men.
* NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kabul
A telephonic survey of almost 3,000 Afghans conducted by Glevum Associates, a research company based in Washington, shows a close race between Abdullah and Ghani.
03:4312.6.2014
Last Words
Abdullah and Ghani used the last day of the campaign to meet with supporters. At the end of the day, both candidates asked voters in a televised address to turn out to vote.
In his final remarks in Kabul, Ghani thanked supporters and urged transparency in the election process. He also called on Afghans to stay united.
Abdullah addressed voters from his home in Kabul, alongside a group of politicians who endorsed him.
"Thank you to the heroic people of Afghanistan who warmly welcomed us throughout the country!"
Abdullah said improving security and fighting fraud were his main concerns.
Abdullah said he hoped issues that marred the first round, such as ballot shortages, would be avoided in the runoff.
03:2612.6.2014
Campaign Ends, Silence Begins
The campaign for presidential run-off formally ended at midnight Kabul time, after three weeks of intense electioneering.
According to election rules, the two candidates are not allowed to conduct any kind of campaigning during the two days ahead of the vote. They cannot hold any rallies or gatherings, give interviews to local media, or even send out texts to voters.
03:1912.6.2014
Good morning. Welcome to our coverage of Afghanistan's runoff election.
15:4911.6.2014
That wraps up our live-blogging for Wednesday, June 11. We will be back first thing tomorrow!
15:4811.6.2014
Frud Bezhan's latest feature from Kabul looks at the controversy caused by a former Pakistani spy chief's endorsement for Abdullah Abdullah.
NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe is "extremely confident" that the next Afghan president -- be it Abdullah Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani -- will sign a bilateral security agreement with the United States shortly after taking office.
“Both of the leading candidates have said they will sign it within a week, which is good news,” Air Force General Philip Breedlove told the American Forces Press Service in France last week. "Now we have, what I think will be, a willing partner in the next Afghan president -- whichever one it is."
The signing of the bilateral security agreement, which would allow U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014, has been a major point of contention between Washington and outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
The article quotes election watchdogs, as well as members of the Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani campaign teams, as questioning the effectiveness of the system in place after seeing it in action during the first round vote in April.
The Afghan Independent Electoral Commission "is making excuses, or maybe they have some other intentions," alleges Abdullah campaign member Said Agha Sancharaki. "Otherwise, the commission should be able to find female employees considering the big pool of qualified women available."
Abbas Nawyan, a member of Ghani's campaign, expresses concerns that the absence of women at female polling sites will result in ballot stuffing in which men vote on behalf of women. If a solution cannot be found, Nawyan suggests, "the IEC should close" understaffed voting sites.
IEC spokesman Noor Muhammad Noor admits that efforts to hire female employees in rural areas had been unsuccessful, saying that 9,000 female polling sites had been planned but that "due to some cultural restrictions, females are not ready to work."
Noor estimate that the IEC needed around 35,000 to 40,000 female employees, without giving a current figure relating to the number of female staff is given.
This graphic from the IEC site shows that a greater percentage of female staff is participating in this election, and with greater rural penetration -- but with only about 29,000 women staffers as of 2013.
Afghanistan -- Graphic from the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission
13:4311.6.2014
Election Attire
Abdullah was in Kabul today. During a speech at an endorsement gathering, he sported a karakul hat. The karakul was an important part of outgoing President Hamid Karzai's daily attire.
This might be the first time Abdullah has worn one.
