Stumping in Afghanistan
Get Out the Vote
An election billboard showing people how to vote in Kabul, July 16, 2009. "This is only the second presidential election in Afghanistan," said former U.S. Ambassador Ronald Neumann. "We have very little understanding of whether Afghans will vote outside the lines of ethnic and tribal groups."Watchful
A security officer stands guard in Kabul, July 30, 2009. The Taliban has urged Afghans to stay away from the Aug. 20 elections, threatening to block roads to polling stations and dismissing the balloting as an "American process." Another impediment for the country's approx. 15 to 17 million registered voters: Election Day falls during harvest season.Stay the Course
President Hamid Karzai greets supporters in Kabul, July 24, 2009. Running for a second term, Afghanistan's president shook hands and roused supporters with promises to hold international troops more accountable during his first campaign rally in the capital.The Incumbent
President Karzai waves to supporters at an appearance in Daraye Kaihan, Aug 1, 2009. Once highly popular, Karzai has lost luster in recent years because of endemic government corruption, unyielding violence and a huge narcotics industry. But his major challengers lack a broad base of support. The incumbent will still need to win a clean majority (50% plus 1) against a wide field of nearly 40 challengers to avoid a runoff.The 'Change' Candidate
Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, a former Foreign Minister running on a platform of change, is considered the top challenger to the incumbent President Karzai. (Top) Dr. Abdullah speaks during an election campaign rally at a stadium in Kabul on Aug. 3, 2009; (Bottom left) An Afghan girl throws flowers to Dr. Abdullah in Parwan province, July 26, 2009; (Bottom Right) Afghan women leaving the Parwan rally.Crowd Control
A security guard for Dr. Abdullah Abdullah tries to control the crowd in Parwan province, July 26, 2009. Two days later, a campaign manager of Abdullah's was shot in the country's volatile eastern province of Laghman; a bodyguards was killed. Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan told the Washington Post that violence targeting candidates, election offices and monitors has increased recently.Audience
On July 30, some 3,000 ethnic Hazaras in Kabul listened to Dr. Abdullah rail against Karzai's administration and the country's insurgent violence, high unemployment and weak rule of law. The crowd applauded lightly. But with top Hazara leaders already backing Karzai, it is difficult for the challenger to make deep inroads.'A New Direction'
Afghan presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani delivers a speech in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, July 30, 2009. A former finance minister and World Bank executive, Ghani is seen as a serious contender, with a serious adviser -- American political consultant James Carville.Tweet the Vote
Only 1.5% of Afghans have access to the Internet. But that 1.5% can download campaign wallpapers and mobile phone widgets, watch speeches on YouTube and Facebook, and follow the candidates on Twitter. They can also, of course, donate online.Running in Place
Presidential candidate Latif Pedram, head of the National Congress of Afghanistan, during a campaign rally in Kabul, July 14, 2009. A Tajik nationalist, Pedram angered supporters of a pro-Pashtun party for allegedly disrespecting a former Afghan king, Amanullah Khan. Their calls for his head (a $200,000 bounty was advertised) have meant Pedram has recently lived under a self-imposed house arrest.No Hanging Chads Here
A crane driver picks up ballot boxes at the Independent Election Commission's main office in Kabul, Aug. 4, 2009. More than 3,000 donkeys will deliver ballots to remote polling sites. Candidates, including former Taliban commander Mulla Abdul Salam Rockity (top right), can be identified by a symbol on ballots, to aid the 70% of Afghans who can't read.Not Quite Rubber Chicken
Afghan villagers prepare to sacrifice a cow in honor of the visit by President Karzai, in Daraye Kaihan, Aug. 1, 2009. Ashraf Ghani said that Karzai (who has reportedly been securing the backing of opposition candidates through backroom deals) offered him a job in return for his dropping out. Ghani refused, but three candidates have so far withdrawn and publicly supported Karzai.Another Glass Ceiling
A school girl (right) uses her cell phone camera to take a picture of Shahla Atta at a campaign rally July 29, 2009, in Kabul. Atta, one of two female presidential candidates, has promised to speed up reconstruction, make education mandatory, strengthen the economy and offer free treatment to drug addicts.Poster
The husband of Sima Matin, a provincial council candidate in Shirak Pirak, asked her not to hang posters of her uncovered face outdoors. Matin struggles to present her platform in a culture where she risks being called a prostitute for speaking to men outside her immediate family. "If I try to go to a meeting where there are men, my husband says 'no,'" says Matin. "I need to be able to talk to them, too."Debate
At his shop in Kabul, an Afghan watches the leading presidential candidates debate on television on July 23, 2009. Two of Karzai's leading challengers, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, took part in the unprecedented debate, but Karzai opted out, his lectern left unattended. His office charged that Tolo TV was biased against him.Turnout Is Key
A partly-torn poster of President Karzai in Kabul. Hundreds of polling centers may not open in the violent south and east, which could cost Karzai votes from his fellow Pashtuns, who -- at 40% of the population -- make up the largest ethnic voting bloc.Momentum
Earlier this week Dr. Abdullah (pictured here arriving at a campaign rally in Aybak on Wednesday) said that "things are moving and the momentum in my campaign is second to none." He told a crowd in the northern Afghan province of Samangan this week, "The dark days are ending, the light is waiting for you. Change and hope are waiting for you."Meanwhile . . .
Sergeant Evans of the 3rd platoon Apache Company 2-87 Infantry from Fort Drum, N.Y., inspects the site of an IED attack in Wardak province, Aug. 3, 2009. Thousands of U.S. troops are deploying in southern Afghanistan as part of an effort to prevent the Taliban from disrupting the country's Aug. 20 presidential vote. At least 95 U.S. and international troops have died in Afghanistan in July and the first week of August.On the Campaign Trail
An elderly Afghan man holds a bouquet of artificial flowers to give to presidential candidate Dr. Abdullah Abdullah during a rally in Baharak, Badakhshan province.By CBSNews.com producer David Morgan, with contributions by the Associated Press