Afghanistan Presidential Debate, 16 Aug 2009

Karzai, Ghani, Bashardost participate in final debate of Afghanistan's presidential campaign - A scene from an August 16, 2009 debate between Afghan presidential candidates Ramzan Bashardost, Ashraf Ghani and Hamid Karzai, moderated by RFE/RL Radio Azadi director Akbar Ayazi. The debate was held in the studios of state-owned Radio Television Afghanistan.

Hamid Karzai: "The real war on terrorism is not inside Afghanistan... foreign forces should be our guests." - A major topic addressed during the debate was the proper role of foreign armed forces in Afghanistan. According to Karzai, "The real war on terrorism is not inside Afghanistan, inside its villages and homes, and against its people. It is outside the borders of Afghanistan." He added, "We should be the host, and foreign forces should be our guests.

Ashraf Ghani: "We must build confidence in the Afghan central government." - The weakness of Afghanistan's central government was also addressed by the candidates. Ghani, a former World Bank official who has mounted a late charge in the campaign, said "We cannot bring peace and stability to the country by using military power alone. We must build confidence in the Afghan central government."

Ramzan Bashardost: "There is no security without justice." - Bashardost focused on government corruption and Karzai's controversial political appointments. "When I talk to people on the ground, their main concern is corruption, and the placement of former warlords and murderers in government," Bashardost said. "There is no security without justice."

Akbar Ayazi: "Today was a great day for Afghan democracy..." - "Never before have Afghans seen an incumbent president challenged by his opponents on live television and radio," said moderator Ayazi. "Today was a great day for Afghan democracy and I hope the peaceful, free exchange of ideas was informative for those heading to the polls on Thursday."

First and only time Karzai participated in a presidential debate - This was the only debate to feature incumbent President Karzai. The candidate widely considered Karzai's main competitor, Abdullah Abdullah decided not to participate in the debate. The debate was co-sponsored by Radio Azadi and Radio Television Afghanistan, and broadcast nationwide on both networks.