IT is unfortunate that Saturday’s much-awaited Afghan presidential election was marked by numerous acts of violence, both on polling day and during the run-up to it.

The Afghan Taliban claimed to have carried out most of the election day attacks that have left a number of people dead; the militia had warned civilians to stay away from the voting booths.

Expectedly, as a result of the Taliban’s violent campaign, the turnout was low while the state closed over 2,000 polling stations due to the precarious security situation. It goes without saying then that those who did turn out to vote deserve praise for bravely defying the violence and threats, and carrying on with the democratic process — however hobbled it may be.

While poll-related violence is the biggest threat to fair elections, there are also issues of fraud; independent observers as well as Afghan politicians and voters have questioned the transparency of the electoral process.

Indeed, this has been an issue since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. Frequent allegations of fraud, vote-buying and other corrupt practices have cropped up during presidential and parliamentary elections in the country.

Perhaps one of the main reasons for this is that the democratic process has not been allowed to grow organically within Afghanistan, with civil war, foreign invasions and internecine rivalries severely disrupting the evolution of electoral politics.

But the process must continue and improve, so that a viable leadership acceptable to all Afghans emerges and pulls this unfortunate country out of the morass of decades of war and violence, and puts it on the path of a better future.

As for the presidential contenders, this is largely a two-horse race, with the incumbent Ashraf Ghani facing off against Dr Abdullah Abdullah, chief executive of the government. Though the two men shared power in the outgoing administration, it was seen as a marriage of convenience propped up by the Americans, and there were major disagreements between the two. It remains to be seen if the loser of this contest accepts defeat graciously, or if a fresh wrangle for power begins after the votes have been counted.

Looking at the big picture, although the Taliban have called the elections ‘fake’, what other method exists for the Afghan people to elect their representatives?

The process, flawed though it may be, needs to be improved, as there is no other alternative for power-sharing in a society as complex as Afghanistan, with its myriad tribes, clans and ethno-religious groups all wanting a slice of the cake.

The Taliban are doing no service to Afghanistan by attacking voters. Moreover, whatever dispensation emerges, the militia needs to engage with it for the sake of the country.

The Taliban may not trust whichever government takes power in Kabul, but they need to keep channels open if peace is to come to this scarred land.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2019