(1 Oct 2013) A prominent Afghan opposition leader declared his candidacy for next year's presidential election on Tuesday, a key vote that will help determine the success or failure of 12 years of US-led military and political intervention in the country.
Abdullah Abdullah was the runner up to President Hamid Karzai in the 2009 elections, dropping out just ahead of a runoff vote following widespread allegations of corruption, vote tampering and election fraud in the first round.
"Our hope and the request from the government is to stay impartial in the coming elections and obey the law," Abdullah told reporters after registering his candidacy.
Abdullah, 53, is a veteran politician from the Northern Alliance that helped overthrow the Taliban.
He was the first prominent candidate to register ahead of an October 6 deadline.
His candidacy follows weeks of speculation over who will run.
Ethnically fractious, Afghan politics are marked by patronage and alliances among the elite - a group that includes warlords and tribal elders who can marshal votes among the country's various ethnic groups.
The population is roughly 42 percent Pashtun, 27 percent Tajik, 9 percent Hazara, and 9 percent Uzbek along with other, smaller factions. The Taliban are predominantly Pashtun.
Alliances among those groups are expected to generate coalitions that will vie for the powerful job of president.
Karzai has not endorsed anyone yet and there are no clear favourites, but speculation in recent days has focused on two people he may favour.
They are Foreign Minister Zalmai Rassoul, who may wind up as a consensus candidate, and Karzai's older brother Quayum - who is a businessman and politician.
The April 5 vote will elect a new president and provincial councils countrywide.
They are considered critical in determining Afghanistan's future following the withdrawal of all foreign combat troops at the end of 2014.
The country's international financial and military backers have said a smooth transition during the presidential election is necessary to ensure the country's stability.
US and international donors have pledged more than 8 billion (b) US dollars yearly in aid to keep Afghanistan's military and economy running, including funds for development and infrastructure projects.
Many of those funds are tied to the Afghan government holding transparent and credible elections, something that is not certain in a country rife with patronage and corruption and a resilient Taliban insurgency that shows no signs of abating.
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