Afghan Warrior

Afghan women candidates fac majore problem to run their electoral campaigns, particulary in the south and southeastern provinces. Poor security and financial difficulties are the main problems that the female candidates are suffering from. In some rural areas of the southern and southeastern provinces they can not even attend public meetings because the areas still have a patriachal and traditional systems which are far from the Islam religion because in Islam there is equal rights for men and women. So in these areas the female candidates are facing problems. In some rural areas, women give their speeches via their relatives such as their brother or cousins. Some male candidates are armed and they carry weapons for their security. They have influence. Also they have a police force with them to pull security for them while they run their campaign. But female candidates don't have as many facilities as male candidates to afford security guards and money for their expenses. So therefore campaigning is more difficult for the women candidates.

Discrimination is still seen against women candidates and some female candidates have been threatened. The houses of two women candidates have been burned by enemies. Most female candidates take their family memebers like brothers and cousins as a guard while they run their election campaign, particulary in the rural areas. Under the Taliban regime women were not allowed to work and they were locked in their homes and not able to run any businesses. However since the fall of the Taliban, women can now work, but they have not much promoted in the financial field like men because almost every businesses and positions are on the hands of the men. Security is much better for female candidates in the capital Kabul, but some female candidates complain about financial difficulties and they are not able to run their campaigns as well as male candidates. Some male candidates spend hundreds of dollars to get more publicity.

September's parliamentary elections will be the first time that the Afghan constitution allows women to run for public office and it shows that the women have equal rights to participate in order to rebuild their country. I hope the interior ministry will provide security for female candidates in order to allow them to conduct their campaign in a peaceful environment, particularly in the southern and southeastern provinces. Female candidates are very hopeful of winning seats in parliament. Most people think that women are kinder than men and they have not been involved in any crimes so hopefully there are more chances for female candidates to win seats in parliament.

There are not many candidates from political parties - most candidates are independent - and people will aim to vote for honest and patriotic candidates like they elected their president last year during the presidential elections. There are a lot of worries that Taliban and Al-Qaeda will disturb the election but Afghan security forces and their international allies led by the US-led coalition forces have full preparation to deal with any undesirable situation.

No doubt the upcoming parliamentary election election held on September 18 will be a milestone in Afghanistan's history. These eletions are crucial and determine the political fate of this country which never had any experience of real democracy and will open a new way of resolving problems through dialogue and peaceful reconciliation.