Video Netcast - Elections
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Transcript

There were presidential elections held in Afghanistan in October 2004. They were remarkably successful. There were a lot of "doom and gloom" predictions that there would be a large scale violence that would mar the polls. This largely didn't transpire. The elections proceeded peacefully and President Karzai was elected with a robust majority. He was the only candidate that was able to secure votes from across the ethnic spectrum in the country, which was very important.

I think that the elections gave a really important boost to the reconstruction and political process in this country. It also gave renewed confidence to the government and the international community that Afghanistan is on the right track.

Parliamentary elections will be held in Afghanistan in 2005. These are going to be much more difficult than the presidential elections, both logistically and in terms of security. But this is an incredibly important step on Afghanistan's path toward democracy.