Karzai Promises Inclusive Government

On Tuesday, one day after being proclaimed president again despite there not being a second round of elections and confirmed widespread fraud in the first August round, President Hamid Karzai embraced all Afghans with a generous spirit.

“It will be a government of unity,” he said. “It will be a government for all the Afghan people. As a matter of fact, as I have said many times before, I don’t have an opposition -- I don’t have a personality or a group as my opposition and I don’t want to be opposed to anybody.”

“That’s why I don’t have a political party. My government will be for all Afghans and all those who want to work with me are most welcome, regardless of whether they opposed me in the election or whether they supported me.”

“Beginning of a new political crisis”

But nonetheless, it is not going to be so easy to rally support. Shukria Barakzai, a female MP in Kabul, was far from optimistic and said that she thought this meant “the beginning of a new political crisis in Afghanistan.”

Ordinary Afghans were also far from enthralled by the idea of five more years of Hamid Karzai. Not only has he done little to combat corruption during his first term, the Taliban insurgency has only gained in strength and the country remains extremely poor.

Abudin Abed, an unemployed Afghan currently visiting his cousin in Kabul, was unconvinced: “Where is the democracy? Whose democracy are we talking about? About a democracy where somebody sits in a chair and nobody can get him off it?”

Little alternative to Karzai

Others agreed but feared there was little alternative. This also seemed to be the attitude of the international community, which has been sending its congratulations to Karzai ever since his re-election was announced.

“The United Nations will respect and support that decision,” insisted UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday. “The United Nations and the international community will stand by in working with the next president.”

On Tuesday, India said it looked forward to partnering with Afghanistan in its reconstruction efforts.

Pressure to introduce reforms

US President Barack Obama was also quick to congratulate Karzai but insisted that there would be calls to introduce reforms: “I did emphasise to President Karzai that the American people and the international community as a whole want to continue to partner with him and his government in achieving prosperity and security in Afghanistan but I emphasised that this has to be a point in time at which we begin to write a new chapter.”

Obama is currently reviewing the US’ military strategy in Afghanistan. There is pressure on him to increase the number of troops there to fight the mounting insurgency.

When asked about whether Obama is any closer to deciding on or whether to send more troops, Obama’s close advisor David Axelrod was vague saying he expected “the president to make a decision within weeks.”

He added that is was not simply a question of arithmetic but that the strategy had to be right.

Author: Anne Thomas
Editor: Thomas Bärthlein