Karzai claims victory

[stevehayes13]

Well all this seems a long way from the fact that the election was a fraud. The number of reports of outrageous practices grows daily. Polling stations that never saw a voter, but some man sat there all day filling in a couple of thousand ballots for Karzai. Ballots cast and simply being destroyed. Polling stations returning votes in excess of the electorate by a factor of ten. The puppet regime in Afghanistan is so corrupt, it does not even know what an election is supposed to look like. Maintaining such a regime is a disgrace.

[mrmacq]

Originally Posted by stevehayes13

Well all this seems a long way from the fact that the election was a fraud. The number of reports of outrageous practices grows daily. Polling stations that never saw a voter, but some man sat there all day filling in a couple of thousand ballots for Karzai. Ballots cast and simply being destroyed. Polling stations returning votes in excess of the electorate by a factor of ten. The puppet regime in Afghanistan is so corrupt, it does not even know what an election is supposed to look like. Maintaining such a regime is a disgrace.

im sorry
were we talking about florida?
bad joke
other spots in the world where voter fraud has gone on
there was great hue and cry
where is it here?
where were the international observers?

[bowman]

Originally Posted by stevehayes13

Well all this seems a long way from the fact that the election was a fraud. The number of reports of outrageous practices grows daily. Polling stations that never saw a voter, but some man sat there all day filling in a couple of thousand ballots for Karzai. Ballots cast and simply being destroyed. Polling stations returning votes in excess of the electorate by a factor of ten. The puppet regime in Afghanistan is so corrupt, it does not even know what an election is supposed to look like. Maintaining such a regime is a disgrace.

I think fraud is the understatement of the year. Karzai controls nothing outside of Kabul. The millions upon millions they get off the west is ending up in the pockets of a few.

[stevehayes13]

Worse still much of that money goes to the Taleban. The way it works is: say there is international aid to build a bridge. Eventually, some of the money gets down to the level of the bridge builder. He receives a visit. He is told that the Taleban do not want the bridge. There is a negotiation. The builder and the Taleban reach an agreement. For a per centage, the builder will be allowed to construct the bridge. Once everyone has been paid off, the bridge will be destroyed. This type of practice is so rife, it has been estimated that it is the Taleban's major source of funding.

[stevehayes13]

The Election Complaints Commission has finally delivered its verdict on the voting irregularites. It found there was clear and consistent evidence of electoral fraud across the whole country. It has discounted votes from so many polling stations that Karzai's share of the reminder has dropped to 48 per cent. The findings of the Commission are legally binding, so at a minmum there will need to be a second round of voting. Karzai is said to be livid. This hardly augers well for the notion that the second round of voting will be free and fair.

[dixon76710]

Originally Posted by stevehayes13

The Election Complaints Commission has finally delivered its verdict on the voting irregularites. It found there was clear and consistent evidence of electoral fraud across the whole country. It has discounted votes from so many polling stations that Karzai's share of the reminder has dropped to 48 per cent. The findings of the Commission are legally binding, so at a minmum there will need to be a second round of voting. Karzai is said to be livid. This hardly augers well for the notion that the second round of voting will be free and fair.

"Karzai is said to be livid"???? Where did you get that from?

Afghanistan's Karzai welcomes run-off decision
KABUL, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday that a decision by Afghan election authorities to hold a second round run-off in November was legal and constitutional.

"We believe that this decision of the IEC (Independent Election Commission) is legitimate, legal and constitutional and that it strengthens the path towards domocracy," Karzai said in remarks televised live on Afghan television.
http://www.reuters.com/article/lates...s/idUSSP156846

[stevehayes13]

I got it from a number of sources yesterday: ie, before the USA had forced him to agree to the run off election. Those sources were the BBC and the Telegraph, both of which have now dropped any talk of his anger at having the election 'stolen' from him.

[stevehayes13]

Well, Dr Abdullah has withdrawn from the run off election on the ground that it cannot be free and fair. Given the extent of electoral fraud in the first round, this seems an entirely reasonable judgement. However, it now means that we have the farcial situation of an election with one candidate, a foregone conclusion. This may not bother Karzai and his supporters, but the notion that our troops should risk their lives in order to provide this corrupt regime with a fig-leaf of legitimacy is outrageous.

[quietcount]

Originally Posted by dixon76710

Yeah! Helmand was relatively stable in 2005 before we turned over the province to NATO(Britain) in January 2006. The US Marines have only been back since July of this year. Going to take a while.

Helmand was relatively stable until we imposed our imperialist democratic dictatorship on a foreign people.
In an area with so many tribal wars and blood feuds it is amazing how a nation like ours can invade then overturn a government and then impose our own choice as ruler on that nation and expect that nation to accept our decision is dumb.
These people had the same choice as we have. We have to pick from a small pool of party's who all say they want to change things but don't change anything when they get into power and continue to do the same thing as the last party who was in power.
We need to have a good long look at ourselves to discover why we are hated so much. Their is a reason for it. But most people turn a blind eye to the reason or just are totally in denial.
I think someone is fighting a very successful propaganda war. But the only one's who are buying it is that country's inhabitants. The people of Afghanistan are not buying it . we don't know why voting turnout is so low. It is obvious to some people.


Helmand was relatively stable in 2005 before we turned over the province to NATO(Britain) in January 2006. The US Marines have only been back since July of this year. Going to take a while.
It will take a while for the marines to terrorize the local inhabitants into not fighting like patriots.
If the U.S.A was invaded i would expect them to fight back in anyway possible. Even suicide bombers. If the U.K. was invaded i would expect them to fight anyway they could. Even suicide bombers.
The fact these people are resorting to these tactics against us tells me that we must be doing something wrong.
If the marines subdued them before then i dread to think what tactics were employed.
I think if someone blows them selfs up for a cause they believe in then why is it fair that our brothers and sisters and uncles are going over to fight because that is their job and that is what they were ordered to.
It seems to me that we have lost the moral high ground and are now just inflicting war crime after war crime on a people who can not fight back other than killing them selfs in the process.

[Jeddy]

Karzai is US agent placed in Kabul to be Afghanistan's president. His is a puppet regime. How can Karzai be elected when no one asked the people of Afghanistan if he should be their president or not. It is funny how the US will give to the impression of legitimacy to a government which is entirely US control. Sham elections and fake results. The USA has done the same in Iraq, brutally executing Saddam Hussain and setting up a puppet regime, with a puppet parliament.
This is the US policy have 'friendly governments' in places which are of their interest. Karzai and his government have no control over Afghanistan, the US and British soldiers are still fighting and dying. The war is still going on, the Afghans are still fighting. Everything is a secret. If the US and the UK are fighting a Just War then there should be secrets. There are secrets only when things being done which are inhuman and the actual death toll of US and UK military is not disclosed. How many soldiers have become permanently crippled. How many soldiers returned to their respective countries and committed suicide because either because of the things they did or the things they saw - pretend to be machines and be able to bear the horrors they have seen. The loss military equipment. This war has been going on for 8 years and no headway has been made. What is the relevance of an election when the US and UK are constantly being pushed back from the territory they have captured.The commanders all agree they are in a stalemate, unable to do anything. The more soldiers are sent the more will die and many more will be crippled.