Violence threatens Afghan womenâs vote by Zivka Deleva

Even thought the force of the Taliban has diminished, violence has spread through Afghanistan. Much of the south and east of the country is highly volatile. Kidnapping and ambushes, and suicide attacks have been common. All this leads to real doubts about the following presidential elections. The UN is still hoping that the poll will be held in time in October 2009 but they know that the security situation is a major problem. The man responsible for organizing the elections has that if the violence gets worse he has the power to postpone them. Even though the predictions are one year old about the rise of violence in Afghanistan due to the upcoming elections, the violence hasn’t stopped, but it only increased. Threat that comes in light in this time before the elections is the raised woman activity and willingness to vote. Huge number of women has registered for the first time to vote. They all want to be part of the process. One of the first time voters is Khatima Ab! dullah, a student, who says that she will vote for a president who will open up schools and will take care of the people. Their demands are maybe specific, but it is not as much for the candidates themselves as it is the opportunity to bring about change in the country. During the Taliban regime most of the women stayed illiterate and the women schools were burned. Now it is the time to change this, using the ballot boxes. More and more women want to take part in the future of their country. They feel that they have been repressed for too long. They are hoping that by casting their votes in the ballots their voices will be heard.

by Zivka Deleva for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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