Afghan elections to be delayed

1.00pm - By SAM INGLEBY

Against a backdrop of increased violence, the historic Afghan elections scheduled for September will be delayed because of wrangling among officials and political parties, a senior government official has said.

The development comes just days after the president, Hamid Karzai, said the polls must go ahead on time and pleaded for more Nato troops to maintain security.

The deadline for setting an polling date in September is today; yesterday, Farook Wardak, of the country's election management body said no decision would be taken.

Under Afghan law, polling day must be set at least 90 days in advance.

"Much more consultation is required," Mr Wardak said by telephone as he hurried to a meeting with the top UN official in Afghanistan, Jean Arnault.

"I'm hopeful that next week we'll have a decision."

President Hamid Karzai has pledged repeatedly to hold the elections in September, despite mounting violence against election workers and concern that warlords will use intimidation to cement their power.

Earlier this week, Nato agreed to increase its forces from 6,500 to 10,000 to bolster security during September elections, but Karzai desperately pleaded for troops to be sent immediately.

Mr Karzai thanked the leaders, but added: "I welcome very much your decision yesterday to send us security forces to help us with the elections. But... we need security forces today in Afghanistan to provide a secure environment for elections for the Afghan people and beyond."

Presidential and parliamentary elections have already been delayed from June, and October is seen as the last chance to hold a vote before snow closes high passes in the Hindu Kush until the spring of 2005.

Karzai has argued that blocking the formation of Parliament would betray Afghans' hopes, some three years after the ouster of the hardline Taleban regime and more than two decades after the nation was plunged into a series of ruinous wars.

The votes should be held simultaneously, but observers say there is a possibility that officials could separate them, holding the presidential vote in October and the parliamentary election next year.

International officials have been cautioning for months that security is simply not adequate to hold the election.

The United Nations, which holds half the seats on the election body, has warned repeatedly that warlords and faction leaders - some in government - must disarm their private armies to keep the vote credible.

"There is indeed a debate," UN spokesman Manoel de Almeida e Silva said.

"Of course, if the debate goes on, that will have an impact on the election date."

The latest delay follows several weeks of attacks targeting election workers and ordinary voters. Two female election voters and more than a dozen Afghans who had registered were killed last week.

Analysts doubt whether the vote itself can be any better protected, even though thousands of foreign troops and newly trained Afghan security forces are to shield polling stations.

Mr Wardak said the government census office had yet to deliver vital population estimates so that the distribution of seats in Parliament could be decided. He also said only four of the 20 political parties consulted by the election body insist on the parliamentary vote being held this fall.

That has not deterred Afghans from registering to vote, with 5.5 million of the estimated 9.5 million eligible Afghans already signed up, including 2 million women.

But there is concern that many will vote along lines dictated by local strongmen and wealthy drug barons, blunting the hopes of independent candidates.

In March, Karzai used a promise to disarm 40,000 irregular fighters by the end of June to win international pledges of billions in aid to rebuild war-ravaged Afghanistan. But only 9,700 soldiers have given up their guns so far.

Almeida e Silva said UN officials "continue to attach the highest priority to DDR," which stands for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of former soldiers.

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