By Isabel Chinan

Now that the presidential election has ended in Afghanistan we can ask how democratic was the process really? The issue that bothers me the most is the horrific circumstances Afghans had to face when they want to participate in the rightful act of voting. Also the illegitimate actions that take place which inevitably undermines the whole election. Is voting under these circumstances really worth it?

Firstly, the north and south divide in the country plays an important role in determining who gets voted for. Mr Abdullah, the most powerful rival to President Kazrazi in the presidential elections relies on the northern Tajik regions of the country and President Karazi relies on the southern Pashtun regions.

There is an obvious conclusion of this divide.

In the northern region, people feel safer to vote as there is more of a security presence. In the southern regions however, the people are exposed to a greater threat from the Taliban and a risk of their fingers being ‘hacked off’ if they notice any ink on them. The Associated Press reported that only 40-50 per cent of Afghanistan's 15 million registered voters had cast ballots, compared to 70 per cent in 2004. I think it’s fair to say this could be the result of the Taliban’s involvement. Another point which coincides with the ink which is used to cast a vote on the ballot paper can easily be removed with bleach.

Secondly the ‘sloppiness’ of the allocation card for registered voters. A reporter from CNN came across a 13-year-old boy who had voted with his correct age on his registration card. It also confirmed the fears of 2 million of the estimated 17 million registered voters were wrongly listed on electoral lists, or that their names appear twice.

Lastly, there have been numerous reports of fraud during the elections. In the more dangerous parts of the country, eyewitnesses reported local tribal leaders taking ballot boxes and filling them with ballot papers already marked in Karzais favour.

The election process showed the world how undemocratic Afghanistan is and how much corruption lies within the country. The country still has a long way to go if they want to start describing themselves as ‘democratic.’ Facing the risk of death to vote shows the Afghans’ commitment to have a voice in this election; however their votes might not even count in this election with the amount of illegitimate actions that have taken place.