IPSecure
04-16-2009, 10:52 PM
Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:23:39 GMT
Washington is using its political clout to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan, a report says.
The US embassy in Kabul has urged Afghanistan's leading presidential hopefuls to withdraw from the race in favor of Ali Ahmad Jalali -- a candidate that is more preferred by Washington, reported Pakistan's Ummat daily.
In return, US official have promised to guarantee key positions for the three candidates -- which include finance minister Ashraf Ghani, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and political activist Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi -- in the next Afghan government.
The move received instant condemnation as flagrant US interference in Afghan politics and internal affairs.
Jalali -- who is viewed as the main rival of President Hamed Karzai in the August presidential elections -- is a US citizen and former Afghan minister of the interior.
His candidacy is seen as a direct violation of the Chapter Three, Article Sixty Two of Afghanistan's Constitution, which states that only an Afghan citizen has the right to run for president - which means that Jalali would have to apply for Afghan citizenship first.
Zalmay Khalilzad and Ashraf Ghani, two other candidates vying for presidency, also hold US citizenship.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=91334§ionid=351020403
Washington is using its political clout to influence the outcome of the upcoming presidential elections in Afghanistan, a report says.
The US embassy in Kabul has urged Afghanistan's leading presidential hopefuls to withdraw from the race in favor of Ali Ahmad Jalali -- a candidate that is more preferred by Washington, reported Pakistan's Ummat daily.
In return, US official have promised to guarantee key positions for the three candidates -- which include finance minister Ashraf Ghani, former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah and political activist Anwar ul-Haq Ahadi -- in the next Afghan government.
The move received instant condemnation as flagrant US interference in Afghan politics and internal affairs.
Jalali -- who is viewed as the main rival of President Hamed Karzai in the August presidential elections -- is a US citizen and former Afghan minister of the interior.
His candidacy is seen as a direct violation of the Chapter Three, Article Sixty Two of Afghanistan's Constitution, which states that only an Afghan citizen has the right to run for president - which means that Jalali would have to apply for Afghan citizenship first.
Zalmay Khalilzad and Ashraf Ghani, two other candidates vying for presidency, also hold US citizenship.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=91334§ionid=351020403