Afghanistan: Run-up to presidential election adds to political uncertainty

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Pakistan | 13 May 2019

The Consultative Peace Loya Jirga made up of 50 committees of delegates ended inconclusively, as reported by Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) on 3 May 2019, and it remains unclear what it has contributed to bringing peace to Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the current presidential term officially ends on 22 May 2019 which has led to calls for a caretaker government, (AAN, 30 April 2019). Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, wonders whether a meeting of 3,200 delegates in just four days could produce any other outcome than mere scripted conclusions from the government: "It was not very surprising that many opposition politicians and those standing as candidates for the presidential elections in September 2019 preferred to boycott the Jirga, which was overshadowed by the approaching elections anyway. It is also no surprise that the call for a caretaker government has been rejected by incumbent President Ghani and the Supreme Court. The following months will be a time of political uncertainty for Afghanistan."‚ Thomas Muller adds: "The political uncertainty has been increased by Pakistan"s recent choice of Interior Minister, who is a former director of intelligence renowned for his close contacts with Islamic militant groups. In its report on 27 April 2019, Reuters asked if anything had really changed since Imran Khan was elected prime minister in July 2018. The Christian minority in both Pakistan and Afghanistan would answer this question with a clear "˜No"."