Recommendations For Immediate Management Of Afghanistan’s Political, Electoral Crisis

The state and political system in Afghanistan lingers over a make or break point. Should Dr. Abdullah Abdullah declare a “parallel government”, something his camp has promised, it would break Afghanistan into fiefs and facilitate the Taliban to take over some parts of the country.

Instead of backing Afghan constitutional institutions in their bid to manage and conclude the acrimonious electoral process, Washington has adopted an unhelpful position which has further complicated the political environment.  

American diplomats have been pushing for a “National Unity” government between the two rival camps – a very dangerous, if not entirely unfeasible, formula. Any foreign-imposed power sharing arrangement will result in an extremely weak, polarized and fragile government in Afghanistan.  

As John Kerry prepares to land in Kabul and press both Afghan candidates for a coalition government, here are some immediate policy recommendations for President Hamid Karzai to capture and reverse the unfolding crisis;

·         Wean off moderate and reconcilable figures from Dr. Abdullah’s camp. Individuals like Zalmai Rasoul, Ustad Sayyaf and Gul Agha Sherzai can take away significant psychological as well as political stamina from Abdullah’s base. These individuals can distance themselves from Dr. Abdullah by saying publically that they would not support any declaration of an unconstitutional government,

·         Embolden Engineer Mohammad Khan, Dr. Abdullah’s senior vice presidential nominees, to reject declaration of any unconstitutional power takeover. Such an arrangement could be achieved with the leverage of Abdulhadi Arghandiwal, Planning Minister, and other Hezbi Islami leaders,

·         Organize an emergency assembly of Jihadi leaders and other prominent personalities to declare a strong statement against any unilateral and unconstitutional claim over the Presidency,

·         Stop government officials, particularly chairman of the High Peace Council and Governor of Balkh Province, from issuing inflammatory and provocative statements on Social Media,

·         Security sector leaders – interior and defense ministers – should assure Afghan citizens that security forces are neutral and will protect the constitution, avert any resort to coup d’état and ensure security all over the country.  

Even after a successful management of the current crisis, the next Afghan government will face tremendous challenges in order to effective meet its core constitutional authorities.