Karzai to Taliban: Please Vote

Afghan prez urges militants to participate in election, not attack it

By Jess Kilby, Newser User

Posted Jun 27, 2009 4:51 AM CDT

(Newser) – The president of Afghanistan has urged members of the Taliban to vote at the polls instead of attacking them in the country’s upcoming election, AFP reports. Incumbent Hamid Karzai said in a press conference today the Taliban should "vote for the president they want" in the Aug. 20 election. The militants have not fielded any candidates for the race, and are warning Afghans not to vote.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (2)]

Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai gestures during a press conference at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday June 17, 2009. (AP Photo/Ahmad Massoud)

Opposition presidential candidate Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, center, greets supporters upon his arrival to an election campaign rally in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, June 16, 2009. (AP Photos/Rafiq Maqbool)

Afghan presidential candidate Abdul Jabar Sabet, right, talks with people during an election campaign in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

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We can lead this country towards further stability through elections. We can try for peace through elections, and though elections we can bring development to this country.
- Hamid Karzai

It is also my wish that our Taliban brothers and all other Afghans who ... are standing in opposition ... I request them again and again to renounce violence not only on the election day but forever.
- Hamid Karzai

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Karzai to Taliban: Please Vote