US says it's 'impartial' in presidential poll

WASHINGTON - As President Hamid Karzai is seeking another term in office, the Obama administration says it
is impartial in the upcoming Afghan presidential elections.
The US does not support or oppose any candidate in the upcoming elections in Afghanistan. We are impartial,
said State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly. Our goal is to support credible and secure elections and to help
provide a level playing field for all candidates. We support the right of the people of Afghanistan to choose their
own leaders, Kelly told reporters at the daily press briefing.
Karzai, who has served Afghan leader since the Taliban regimes collapse in the US-led war on terror following
the 9/11 terror attack in the United States and won the first presidential elections in 2004, is still expected to win
the August 20 elections.
But he has to defeat 40 other candidates, among them are former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and
former Finance Minister Asharf Ghani. The two cabinet members have been viewed as Karzais main rivals.
After the fall of Taliban regime, the United States has been committed to ensuring a stable, democratic and
economically successful Afghanistan.
US President Barack Obama, in a statement responding to the elections, said that the United States seeks an
enduring partnership with the Afghan people, not with any particular Afghan leader, and that Afghanistan needs
to work with all her neighbours to promote security and opportunity in the region.
In the New Strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan unveiled in March, Obama vowed to send more combat troops
and civilian aids to Afghanistan to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaeda and Taliban militants.
The United States has decided to offer 40 million US dollars aid for Afghanistans presidential elections.
Meanwhile, at a Gallup poll shows that a quarter of the Afghan population views President Hamid Karzai as fit to
lead, about the same who answered the same for no one.
Campaigning for the Aug. 20 presidential contest in Afghanistan kicked off last week for the second round of
democratic elections since the Taliban regime was overthrown in 2001.
A Gallup Poll in December 2008 of 1,010 Afghans 15 years or older found 25 percent saw the Afghan president
as the most-trusted official in the country. That, however, is similar to the 22 percent who answered no one, the
polling group reports.
Gallup names Karzai the clear leader in the Aug. 20 contest because of his name recognition alone. Former
Defense Minister Abdullah Abdullah, a prominent challenger to Karzai, was named by only 1 percent of the
respondents in the December poll.
Gul Agha Sherzai, a former warlord and a national favourite, was named by 6 percent of the population as the
most trusted political figure, but he dropped out of the race earlier this year following consultations with Karzai.
Meanwhile, respondents were divided over the performance of Karzai, with 47 percent voicing their approval
and 48 expressing dissatisfaction. The remaining 5 percent did not answer.
In terms of governing, only 10 percent viewed the current government favourably, while 26 percent said foreign
forces should be in charge of the country.
The polling results showed a sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.