Afghans Go to the Polls Amid Spike in Violence to Vote on a New President by Pamela Constable and Susannah George – Washington Post
Afghanistan’s fourth presidential election is underway, a vote that many fear will be marred by violence and fraud. At thousands of polling centers across the country Saturday, Afghans lined up and cast ballots under heavy security.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani cast his vote at a fortified Kabul high school near the presidential palace, saying “we are waiting for the decision of the people as to whether they will give us the authority... to bring peace on the basis of the Afghan people’s demand.”
The presidential vote is seen by the Afghan government as a key step toward beginning peace talks with the Taliban amid a spike in violence. The conflict in Afghanistan is at a bloody stalemate and American efforts at negotiating a peace deal unexpectedly collapsed earlier this month…