(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Bul june 14 (qna) - afghans headed to the polls saturday in a presidential runoff between two candidates for a second round of voting to elect a successor to president hamid karzai.
ahmad yousuf nuristani the head of the election commission officially opened saturday's runoff at 7 a.m. local time (0230 gmt) by casting his vote. "my message to our countrymen is that they should come out and cast their vote" he said. "don't wait for the end of the day. come out and vote right now." the runoff is between former foreign minister abdullah abdullah and ex-world bank official and former finance minister ashraf ghani ahmadzai after neither secured the 50 percent margin needed to win in the first round on april 5.
security was tightened ahead of the vote with security forces erecting new checkpoints searching cars and banning trucks from the streets of the capital after the taliban warned people to stay away from the polls.
"today your vote will lead afghanistan toward a better future better government and a better life" president hamid karzai who has led the country since the u.s. invasion toppled the taliban in the months after the september 11 2001 attacks.
"afghanistan is taking another step forward in a transition toward security progress and stability" he said.
the two candidates whose differences lie more in personality than in policy each say they would sign a long-delayed security pact with the united states. that would allow nearly 10000 american troops to remain in the country for two more years to conduct counterterrorism operations and continue training and advising the ill-prepared afghan army and police. (qna)
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