By Jerome Starkey in Kandahar
Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai is facing claims he is trying to “buy” himself a second term in the country’s elections next week.
Allegations of fraud and predictions of widespread violence have marred the race, which many fear could wreck Western-led peace efforts.
Figures seen by the Standard show Mr Karzai spent almost $2million campaigning in the first two weeks of July - more than six times more than his three closest challengers combined.
There are no limits on what the candidates can spend, but the cost of Mr Karzai’s campaign has raised questions over what his backers hope to gain.
Afghanistan’s government remains among the most corrupt in the world. President Karzai says his personal wealth is $10,000, but his brothers have grown rich under his rule. His older brother Mahmoud, 54, a businessman with interests in mines and property, and a sales agreement with Toyota, is one of the richest men in Afghanistan. His younger brother Ahmed Wali, 48, denies masterminding the country’s heroin trade.
Opposition supporters warn of Iran-style protests if Mr Karzai wins in the first round, insisting he could only do it by cheating. Diplomats fear the country could be split along sectarian lines with both sides disputing the result.
The figures from Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission show that from 30 June to 17 July Mr Karzai spent $1.8million on his campaign. In the same period he declared a $2million loan from a private Afghan bank. “The candidate with the most money has the best chance of getting support,” said Jandad Spin Ghar, director of Afghanistan’s Free and Fair Elections Foundation. (Read more)
