Afghan President Hamid Karzai has issued a surprise decree demanding the upcoming presidential election take place in the spring, as outlined in the constitution, instead of the late summer date selected by the country's independent election commission.
The commission had set the date for August 20. But Karzai wants the date moved ahead to sometime in March or April, which means he would still be in power during the election.
That would correctly follow the country's constitution, which states an election is required 30 to 60 days before the president's term expires on May 22.
It is not clear whether Karzai made his decree in order to placate critics who have said his presidential rule will become illegitimate after his five-year term ends, or if he believes it is truly necessary.
The Afghan president, whose appeal has waned during his five years in office, could also benefit from an earlier election date by having a chance to run against contenders who have yet to launch formal campaigns.
"I think he's obviously doing it because he thinks it will give him a stronger chance to win an election," Bob Rae, the Liberal foreign affairs critic, told 麻豆影视net.
He also said it was Karzai's "response to critics that his hold on power is weakening, that it is not as strong as it should or needs to be."
The Globe and Mail's Graeme Smith told 麻豆影视net that the current timing of the election is indeed problematic, but said Karzai's request puts the country's electoral commission in an awkward position.
"He's pitching this as a way of smoothing over some of the constitutional problems, but in fact, he's actually raising all kinds of new concerns here with this announcement," he said Saturday in a phone interview from Kandahar.
Depending on how the election commission reacts to the president's decree, critics may suggest that it favours Karzai's interests, rather than that of the public, Smith said.
"It's a test of its independence because the head of the election commission has, in the past, said things that lead people to wonder whether the election commission is in fact favouring Karzai," Smith said.
Abdul Qahir Wasifi, the Kandahar head of the election commission, said Saturday that he had no advance warning that Karzai wanted the vote moved.
"I don't know anything about this," Wasifi told The Canadian Press.
Wasifi only recently finished supervising voter registration in Kandahar and has yet to submit all of the voter lists to the government.
He would not comment on whether he thought the commission would deny Karzai's request.
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of the president and head of the provincial council in Kandahar, said it is within the president's powers to ask for such a change to the election schedule.
"It is written within the constitution," he told The Canadian Press on Saturday.
Smith, however, said Karzai "does not have the power" to make the announcement he issued on Saturday.
The vote had originally been expected to be held in the spring, but was set for Aug. 20 because of organizational and security concerns.
Canada watching election developments
Canada has even made military staffing plans based on the timing of the August election date.
It had been suggested in Ottawa that one group of soldiers scheduled to go home in
August should stay in Afghanistan as its replacement formation arrives, so that the number of Canadian soldiers can be temporarily boosted to 4,000.
Brig.-Gen. Jon Vance, the commander of the Canadian troops in Afghanistan, said it is too soon to say how a change in the election date would affect the security situation in Kandahar.
"We're studying our planning cycle to ensure we are ready," he said Saturday, when speaking with reporters at Kandahar Airfield.
Vance said that if a spring election does take place, he would have to ask for reinforcements because there are no planned troop rotations at that time. And he said he has not ruled making such a request.
"If the election does come in April and the security is such that it demands I look more closely at force levels here, then I certainly will," Vance said.
"I would consult with superiors and see if that is something we could do. It is within the realm of the possible, for sure."
International monitors have suggested that holding a credible spring vote is likely an impossible feat for the Afghan government.
With files from The Canadian Press
