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Afghan election officials count ballot papers after polls closed in Kabul on June 14.
Afghan election officials count ballot papers after polls closed in Kabul on June 14.

Live Blog: Election Day In Afghanistan

Latest News

-- 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
15:26 11.6.2014
15:48 11.6.2014
Frud Bezhan's latest feature from Kabul looks at the controversy caused by a former Pakistani spy chief's endorsement for Abdullah Abdullah.

You can find all our election-related features on our election blog, "After Karzai."
15:49 11.6.2014
That wraps up our live-blogging for Wednesday, June 11. We will be back first thing tomorrow!
03:19 12.6.2014
Good morning. Welcome to our coverage of Afghanistan's runoff election.
03:26 12.6.2014
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.
03:43 12.6.2014
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.
04:04 12.6.2014
Latest Poll

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.
04:11 12.6.2014
Neutrality

In the first round, some voters accused police chiefs and security forces of intimidating them into voting for a specific candidate.

Interior Minister Umar Daudzai was very active on Twitter on April 5, replying swiftly to allegations of fraud and reports of insecurity. Many hoping to much of the same in the run-off.
04:31 12.6.2014
Ghani's Transformation

The New York Times has a good story on Ghani's transformation from technocrat to populist.

Ghani before:

Mr. Ghani was widely described as being too focused on policy problems and lacking a natural constituency or a common touch. Many described his temper as both short and hot, and his outbursts had alienated many powerful people.

Ghani seems to have to have learnt important lessons:

The winners here are populists who cut deals with their enemies, win support from their rivals and appeal to Afghan national pride — a reality that Mr. Ghani appears to have finally embraced after years of inhabiting the role of pro-Western intellectual.
05:15 12.6.2014
SMS Services Disabled
It appears that SMS services have been blocked in Kabul today, which comes as a bit of a surprise because it was not expected so early.

In the first round, the text services of all the major telecommunication companies operating in Afghanistan -- including Etisalat, AWCC, and Roshan -- were blocked the day of the vote.

The Telecommunications Ministry said it had disabled all SMS services at the request of the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC).

As I wrote at the time, there were several possible reasons for the move:

Afghan government is attempting to prevent candidates from last-minute campaigning. The campaign teams of several candidates have been accused of sending hundreds of thousands of text messages urging people to vote for them after campaigning ended.

The government's texting ban is a security measure to prevent militants from using them for attacks. The Taliban has often used mobile phones to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

There is also speculation that the ban was imposed to prevent the Taliban from sending threatening messages to voters and discouraging them from going to the polls.

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