[004 mimic#2 non scientific] Waiting for the Taliban_ Hailey

Waiting for the Taliban

By Krista Mahr, TIME

Despite the escalating violence, or perhaps because of it, a palpable streak of determination has been building in the run-up to the vote. In a recent survey by the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan, or FEFA, 92% of respondents said they supported the idea of elections; among those who didn’t plan to vote, most said it was because they weren’t registered, not because they feared the Taliban. Women, perhaps mindful of the consequences of the Taliban’s return, are especially invested in the vote: 81% said they would pick a candidate based on their qualities and programs, vs. 12% who said they would vote for the person suggested to them. During the candidate registration period, more than 300 women signed up to run in provincial-council elections. “We’ve always been ignored,” Habiba Sarabi, who is running for second vice president on Rassoul’s ticket, tells TIME. “This is the opportunity to show that women can be in a position of power.” Says Waliullah Rahmani, director of the Kabul Center for Strategic Studies: “A month ago, no one even thought there would be elections. Now you can see the momentum.”

First Trial 

Despite of the escalating violence, or because of it, people’s determination of having the election is building up. Based on the Free and Fair Afghanistan Election, or FFAE, more than 90% of citizens have participated in vote. The rest who are not attending said they didn’t register, not because they are afraid of the Taliban. Women, who are more aware of the consequence of Taliban’s return, are especially active in voting. More than 80% of women answered they would vote based on the quality and program of the campaign, and only 20% said they will vote whoever they were told to. XXX who is running for the vice president said “We’ve always been ignored, and now it’s time to show that women can also be in a place of power.” YYY, director of Kabul Center for the Strategic Studies: “A month ago, no one even thought that there would be an election, and now it’s in momentum.”

Second Trial

Despite the escalating violence, or perhaps because of it, a palpable streak of determination has been building in the run up to the vote. In a recent survey by the Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan, FEFA, 92% of respondents said they supported the idea of election. Among those who didn’t plan to vote, most said it was because they weren’t registered, not because they feared the Taliban. Women, perhaps mindful of the consequences of Taliban’s return, are especially invested in the vote: 81%  said they would pick a candidate based on their qualities and programs, vs. 12% said they would vote for the person suggested to them. During the candidate registration period, more than 300 women signed up to run provincial-council election. “We’ve always been ignored”, said XXX who is running for the second vice president on Rassoul’s ticket, tells TIME. “This is the opportunity to show that women can be in a position of power.” Says YYY, director of Kabul Center for the Strategic Studies: “A month ago, no one even though there would be elections. Now you can see the momentum.”