Uncertainty Over Election and U.S.-Taliban Peace Talks Leaves Afghanistan in Limbo by Pamela Constable – Washington Post
With Taliban-U.S. peace talks failing to reach a hoped-for breakthrough this week, and the insurgents threatening to attack Afghan presidential elections next month, Afghans fear that one or both efforts will fail, leaving the country in political limbo.
As the Muslim society emerges from Eid al-Adha, a period of religious celebration and animal sacrifice that ended Wednesday, new doubts about the peace negotiations and the election have dampened the national mood and intensified debate about whether the Sept. 28 polls should be postponed to give priority to the push for peace.
President Ashraf Ghani, whose chances for reelection surged last week when his strongest competitor quit the race, declared in an Eid speech Sunday that the election is “vital” to the nation. He listed his government’s achievements, including a three-day cease-fire with the Taliban 14 months ago, and assured the public that “peace with dignity” would soon be theirs…