03:18
13.6.2014
Weclome back to our coverage of the run-off election in Afghanistan. Only 24 hours to go before polls open.
16:14
12.6.2014
This concludes our live-blogging for Thursday, June 12. We will be back first thing in the morning (Kabul time)!
16:13
12.6.2014
15:15
12.6.2014
Abdullah Abdullah's campaign has hired a U.S.-based PR firm, according to this document published on the U.S. Department of Justice's Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) website.
In a May 19 letter contained in the document, a partner for Sanitas International Inc. writes that the firm is "honored to support a 'Free and Fair' advocacy campaign in Afghanistan on behalf of Abdullah Abdullah during the 2014 Presidential elections."
The document indicates that the request to hire Sanitas was signed on June 1, and received by FARA's registration unit on the morning of June 9.
In a May 19 letter contained in the document, a partner for Sanitas International Inc. writes that the firm is "honored to support a 'Free and Fair' advocacy campaign in Afghanistan on behalf of Abdullah Abdullah during the 2014 Presidential elections."
The document indicates that the request to hire Sanitas was signed on June 1, and received by FARA's registration unit on the morning of June 9.
14:38
12.6.2014
14:37
12.6.2014
14:36
12.6.2014
14:34
12.6.2014
14:33
12.6.2014
Tight Race
This is still anyone's race to win, according to the latest numbers.
A poll released on June 10 showed that Ashraf Ghani had closed the gap (he finished with nearly 32 percent of the vote in the first round, compared to Abdullah Abdulah's 44.5 percent) and has taken a surprising lead going into Saturday's election.
The latest Glevum polls shows that Abdullah's support has slipped, and now stands at 42 percent, compared to 49 percent for Ghani.
A report in "The Telegraph" explains how polls are notoriously unreliable in Afghanistan, but that the results nonetheless mark an extraordinary comeback by Ghani, "and vindicate his decision to team up with General Abdul Rashid Dostum."
Not so long ago, according to Frud Bezhan, the numbers weren't adding up for Ghani.
And there are other indications that Ghani could emerge victorious:
This is still anyone's race to win, according to the latest numbers.
A poll released on June 10 showed that Ashraf Ghani had closed the gap (he finished with nearly 32 percent of the vote in the first round, compared to Abdullah Abdulah's 44.5 percent) and has taken a surprising lead going into Saturday's election.
The latest Glevum polls shows that Abdullah's support has slipped, and now stands at 42 percent, compared to 49 percent for Ghani.
A report in "The Telegraph" explains how polls are notoriously unreliable in Afghanistan, but that the results nonetheless mark an extraordinary comeback by Ghani, "and vindicate his decision to team up with General Abdul Rashid Dostum."
Not so long ago, according to Frud Bezhan, the numbers weren't adding up for Ghani.
And there are other indications that Ghani could emerge victorious:
13:24
12.6.2014
Negative Campaigning
The head of the Free & Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), Nader Naderi, spoke to journalists today about the ugly mudslinging between the Abdullah and Ghani campaign teams.
"One of the clear characteristics of the runoff campaigns was negative campaigning. An example of the negative campaigning was the utilization of ethnic politics."
"Our major concern in this round is that the thousands of supporters of the candidates will resort to fraud because the ethnic languages the candidates used."