Afghanistan Election: The Videos
EA Soundcheck: Assessing Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq
EA Soundcheck: 7 Points on Afghanistan’s Presidential Election
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In addition to our ongoing coverage of the post-election crisis in Iran, we’ll be keeping an eye on developments in the Afghanistan election. For a guide to the campaign and the issues, see our analysis and listen to our audio at EA Soundcheck, both on the eve of the election and on the night after the vote. Our colleagues at Alive in Afghanistan are providing a full map-based overview of the latest news and incidents. Follow the links for updates for useful poster on Twitter or track the incoming messages at #afghan09. And here is a useful map to keep “at your side” on the computer.
1115 GMT: Pajhwok News Agency is offering a stream of reports pointing to manipulation and fraud in the counting of the vote. In one case in Khost Province, it claims that while residents say less than 500 people, the election commission returned a total of more than 22,000 for Hamid Karzai.
0840 GMT: No, I’ve Won. Abdullah Abdullah’s camp claim that he, not Hamid Karzai, is a first-round winner, taking 63 percent of the vote to Karzai’s 31.
If I were a cynic (which, of course, I am not), I would say that all remains to make this situation complete is for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to show up and say he won.
0715 GMT: Jim Sciutto of ABC News reports that the campaign of Abdullah Abdullah, Hamid Karzai’s main challenger, has denied the claims of a first-round victory by the Karzai camp.
The election commission has responded, “We have no results yet…This is not official…We don’t accept [the Karzai claims].”
0630 GMT: Last night I discussed the election and and its significance with Fintan Dunne. Already I was looking towards the prospect of a first-round Karzai victory, more because of manoeuvres behind the scenes than because of the up-front vote.
Perhaps more importantly, other questions are opened up. Look, for example, to how Karzai tries to exert his authority, not only with other Afghan groups but against his American “allies”. And, for all the cautions about “democracy” in this election, has the process opened up some space — symbolic or “real” — for social and political action against corruption and for rights and development?
21 August, 0600 GMT: A Full Glass for Karzai? All day yesterday we used the phrase “half-empty, half-full” for the election, with mixed returns on turnout, “minor” violence which killed at least 27 people, and reports of irregularities and fraud.
The trend continues today, with one important exception. Election authorities say that the national turnout was between 40 and 50 percent, well down on the 70 percent for the 2004 Presidential election but above the 30 percent threshold needed for a valid result. Caroline Wyatt, reporting from Helmand for the BBC, has just engaged in a bit of cheerleading for the “success” and “incredible result”, given the issues of security. Other observers, such as Al Jazeera English, are being more measured in their views.
The important exception is President Karzai, whose team are already prepared to celebrate. Karzai’s campaign manager told Reuters this morning, “Initial results show that the president has got a majority. We will not got to a second round.”
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2105 GMT: Reports that 
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