Obama Issues Statement on Afghan Elections

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Holly Bailey

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Holly Bailey

President Obama has said twice in the last 24 hours that he doesn’t want to be seen as meddling in Iran’s political process. Now here comes this written statement from Obama on the upcoming elections in Afghanistan. We’ve posted the full statement just issued by the White House below, but here’s the jist: Whoever wins, we’ll work with them. It’s not hard to read between the lines here. For months, administration officials have been defending what some have described as “strained” ties between the White House and current Afghan President Hamid Karzai, whom some folks in Obamaland just don’t trust. The White House has tried to make nice with Karzai, even as some administration officials anonymously hint they wouldn’t mind working with someone else. Recently, they’ve tried to dial back. At a briefing on Afghanistan policy in May, a senior administration official repeatedly insisted the U.S. has no stake in the campaign beyond seeing that the democratic process was fair and just. “In the election -- and I cannot stress this too highly -- we are neither going to support nor oppose any candidate, including Hamid Karzai,” the official said. Obama doesn’t quite say that in his statement today—in fact, Karzai’s name isn’t mentioned once—but his words are much the same. Here’s Obama:

I congratulate the Afghan people on the start of your official election campaign period. On August 20 this year, the people of Afghanistan will choose a President to lead your nation, and also elect provincial councils to represent you locally.

The successful Presidential candidate will have a full agenda and high expectations. Afghan institutions must better serve the people. There must be full accountability and transparency, so that Afghans can see where their money is spent. Fighters who are ready to lay down their arms and embrace peace must be reintegrated. And Afghanistan needs to work with all her neighbours to promote security and opportunity in the region. In all of these efforts, Afghanistan’s next President will have a partner in the United States.

Each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, grounded in the traditions of its own people. The United States does not support or oppose any particular Presidential or Provincial Council candidate. Instead, we support the right of the people of Afghanistan to choose their own leaders. That is why we are working with Afghan electoral authorities and the United Nations to help Afghans ensure a credible, secure, and inclusive election process in which all candidates have fair access to media, can freely travel and campaign, and are comfortable with the integrity of the ballots cast on election day.

The United States seeks an enduring partnership with the Afghan people, not with any particular Afghan leader. That partnership will be dedicated to enabling the newly elected President and other officials to deliver governance, security, justice and economic opportunity to all Afghans. That is the future that the Afghan people deserve, and that is the future that we will seek with the successful candidates and the people who elect them.

Tag(s): Barack Obama, Afghanistan

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