Afghan president praises courage of voters

President Hamid Karzai Kabul  - President Hamid Karzai hailed Afghans for voting in presidential and provincial elections on Thursday despite a spate of Taliban attacks that left nearly 50 dead.

"The Afghan people dared rockets, bombs and intimidation and came out to vote. That is great," said Karzai, frontrunner among the 30 candidates vying for the nation's highest office.

"Despite problems and intimidation, the elections ended successfully," the president told a press conference in his fortified presidential palace.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon also praised the vote. "By exercising their constitutional right to vote, the Afghan people have demonstrated again their desire for stability and development in their country," he said in a statement.

Taliban insurgents fired missiles, unleashed suicide bombers and detonated roadside bombs in more than 130 attacks carried out in 15 of the country's 34 provinces. Seventeen members of then security forces, 9 civilians and more than 20 insurgents were killed.

"The enemy used all their possibilities to disrupt the elections, but the Afghan people, by accepting sacrifice, participated in their millions to make this day successful," Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak told reporters.

More voters turned out in the second half of the day amid fears of a low turnout because of Taliban threats to disrupts the polls and the inability of election officials to open all polling stations.

Azizullah Lodin, head of the Afghan Independent Commission, said all but 315 of the 6,200 polling stations were opened. Compared to the first presidential election in 2004, fewer people were seen casting their ballots in major towns and cities.

"The election will depend on today's turnout," said Haroon Mir, a political analyst and co-director for Afghanistan's Centre for Research and Policy Studies.

"If the election is not credible in the eyes of the Afghans because of a low turnout it will be a big issue not only for the election itself but for the legitimacy of the next leader who will emerge as winner from this election," Mir said.

In a bid to allow more voters to take part in the election, the election commission extended the duration of the balloting by one hour, spokesman Noor Ahmad Noor said.

Initially the polling stations opened at 7 am (0230 GMT), and voting was to continue until 4 pm (1130 GMT).

Fearing lower turnout, the government imposed a media blackout during the voting, but international media ignored this. The move was criticized by local media organizations.

"I think the government is naive ... People have a right to know," said Saad Mohseni, director of Tolo, a private TV channel.

Initial turnout in Kabul, the capital city that is guarded by thousands of Afghan and international troops, was lower than in the 2004 presidential election, possibly out of fear of attacks.

But one early voter brushed aside the security fears.

"I was excited last night," said Mohammad Zewar, a Kabul resident who was waiting at a polling station in front of the Wazir Akbar Khan mosque before the polls opened. "I could not sleep and could not wait to come here."

Shaima Dedarshah, a voter in central Kabul, said she was not afraid to vote. "I am not afraid because you die once. If I had not come out, I would have this fear all the time."

While Zewar and Dedarshah's hopes for a peaceful election day were echoed by voters in other parts of Kabul, the Taliban claimed its militants attacked 16 polling stations throughout the country.

About 17 million Afghans were eligible to vote, among them incumbent Karzai, who cast his vote at a polling station near the presidential palace in Kabul early in the day.

Karzai is opposed by about 30 candidates, including two women, in the second direct vote for president in the recent history of Afghanistan.

Former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, former finance minister Ashraf Ghani and former planning minister Ramazan Bashardost are the main challengers to the incumbent. All three once served in Karzai's government.

In addition to electing a new president voters were also picking 420 provincial council members for Afghanistan's 34 provinces.

Thousands of observers, including hundreds of foreign monitors, oversaw the balloting.

Although Karzai led in recent opinion polls, he was not expected to receive more than 50 per cent of the vote needed to win the election outright. If no candidate posts a first-round majority, a run-off would be held the first week of October.

Initial result of the of the elections and the level of voters' turnout is expected within three days. (dpa)