Presidential elections were held in Afghanistan on 5 April 2014, with a second round held on 14 June. Incumbent President Hamid Karzai was not eligible to run due to term limits. The registration period for presidential nominations was open from 16 September 2013 until 6 October 2013. A total of 27 candidates were confirmed to be running for office. However, on 22 October Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission disqualified 16 of the candidates, leaving only 11 in the race.
By April 2014, three candidates gave up the race and decided to support some of the eight remaining candidates. Opinion polls showed Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani as the front-runners and results of the first round of the election had Abdullah in the lead and Ghani behind him. The second set of results came after the run-off on 14 June, two months after the first round. Preliminary results were expected on 2 July and the final result on 22 July. However, widespread accusations of fraud delayed these results. As a result, John Kerry, then United States Secretary of State, mediated the negotiations between the two final candidates, Ghani and Abdullah.
After a series of negotiations and talks between Ghani, Abdullah and Kerry, the two candidates agreed to sign an Agreement to form a National Unity Government, with both sharing power. As a result of the agreement, a separate position was created for Abdullah, being Chief Executive. The National Unity Government's term ended with the 2019 Afghan presidential election.
The election was the first and only time in Afghanistan's history that power was transferred through democratic means.
Procedure On 17 July 2013, the Parliament of Afghanistan passed a pair of election laws considered crucial to holding the election on time; President Karzai signed one and was expected to sign the other quickly. The first law to be signed laid out the composition and rules for Afghanistan's election commission and a separate commission to adjudicate complaints about voter fraud and other irregularities. The other one governed how the vote will be held.
Pakistan sealed its border with Afghanistan during the electoral period in order to reduce the chances of cross-border attacks.
There have been reports of polling sites running out of ballot papers due to a high turnout.
Candidates A total of 27 candidates were confirmed to have submitted their nominations by Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission on 6 October 2013, the closing day of the nomination period. Ashraf Ghani, former Minister of Finance Dil Agha Kohdamani Ishaq Gailani Hashmat Ghani Ahmadzai Qutbuddin Hilal Qayum Karzai, brother of current President Hamid Karzai, businessman and politician Fazil Karim Najmi Zalmai Rassoul, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdul Rasul Sayyaf Bismillah Sher, leader of the Wefaq Millie Party Abdul Rahim Wardak, former Minister of Defense Abdullah Abdullah, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, leader of National Coalition of Afghanistan, presidential candidate in 2009
However, on 22 October Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission disqualified 16 of the candidates, leaving only 11 in the race. The different candidates were disqualified for a number of reasons, among them were education levels, documentation and the number of required signatures. The disqualified candidates had 20 days to appeal the decision and the Independent Election Commission was due to present the final list of confirmed candidates on 19 November 2013.
On 25 November 2013, the Independent Election Commission announced the ordering of the candidate names for the election ballot as follows:
Candidate Running mate Coalition Occupation Political spectrumFischerAbdullah AbdullahNational Coalition Mohammad KhanHezbi Islami Mohammad MohaqiqHizb-e Wahdat Islami Mardum-e Afghanistan "National Coalition of Afghanistan"(National Front, Jamiat-e Islami, NUPA) Supported by(Hezbi Islami, Hizb-e Wahdat Islami Mardum-e Afghanistan, Yunus Qanuni, Atta Muhammad Nur) Politician. Former Foreign Minister. Islamic democracy, ReformFischerAshraf GhaniIndependent Abdul Rashid DostumNational Islamic Movement Sarwar DanishHizb-e Wahdat Islami Afghanistan NoneSupported by (National Solidarity Party of Afghanistan, Afghan Mellat, National Islamic Front, Sayed Mansoor Naderi, Milli Nijat Party),) Politician. Former Finance Minister. ReformPro-BSAFischerZalmai RassoulIndependent Ahmad Zia MassoudJamiat-e Islami Habiba SarobiTruth and Justice NoneSupported by(Qayum Karzai, Abdul Rahim Wardak, Sardar Mohammad Nadir Naeem, Hezb-e-Islami Shura Alliance, Hezbi Islami of Waheedullah Sabaoon) Politician. Former Foreign Minister. CentrismFischerAbdul Rasul SayyafIslamic Dawa Mohammad Ismail KhanJamiat-e Islami Abdul Wahab Urfan ErfanIndependent — Politician. Wahhabi IslamismFischerGul Agha SherzaiIndependent Sayed Hussain Alimi BalkhiIndependent Mohammad Hashim ZareIndependent — Politician. Former Governor of Nangarhar.FischerQutbuddin HilalIndependent Enayatullah EnayatIndependent Mohammad Ali NabizadaIndependent NoneSupported by(Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin) Politician. Former Deputy Prime Minister. Former member of Hezbi Islami. Conservative IslamismFischerMohammad Daud SultanzoyIndependent Ahmad SaeediIndependent Kazima MohaqiqIndependent — Politician.FischerHidayat Amin ArsalaIndependent Gen. KhudaidadIndependent Safia SeddiqiIndependent — Politician, Economist, Former Finance and Foreign Minister.Withdrawn CandidatesFischerQayum KarzaiIndependent Wahidullah ShahraniIndependent Ibrahim QasmiIndependent Withdrew and supported Rassoul Politician & Businessman. ReformPro-WesternFischerAbdul Rahim WardakIndependent Shah Abdul Ahad AfzaliIndependent Sayed Hussein AnwariIslamic Movement Withdrew and supported Rassoul Politician. Former Minister of Defence.FischerSardar Mohammad Nadir NaeemIndependent Taj Mohammad AkbarIndependent Azizullah PuyaIndependent Withdrew and supported Rassoul Secretary to former King of Afghanistan.
Declined to run Sarwar Ahmedzai Mohammad Hanif Atmar Ali Ahmad Jalali Zalmay Khalilzad Fawzia Koofi Mohammad Mohaqiq Atta Muhammad Nur Mohammad Yunos Qanuni Ghulam Farooq Wardak Mirwais Yasini
Campaign On 6 March 2014 Qayum Karzai ended his bid for the presidency, and instead announced his support for Zalmai Rassoul. Due to the lateness of his announcement Karzai's name still appeared on the ballot paper; however, Karzai told supporters to vote for Rassoul instead. Two other candidates – Sardar Mohammad Nadir Naeem and Abdul Rahim Wardak – did the same thing to create a strong Pashtun ticket.
Debates Afghanistan's TOLOnews hosted several debates between the presidential candidates.
First debate The first debate took place on 4 February 2014 and included five candidates: Abdullah Abdullah, Qayoum Karzai, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Zalmai Rassoul, and Abdul Rahmi Wardak. The debate focused on the issues of security, the economy, and corruption.
Second debate The second debate took place on 18 February 2014 and included four candidates: Daoud Sultanzoy, Mohammad Nader Naeem, Hedayat Amin Arsala, and Qotbuddin Helal. As with the first debate, the second debate focused on the issues of security, the economy, and corruption.
On the issue of security Arsala emphasised the need for better cooperation between the various Afghan security agencies. Sultanzoy focused on the issue of a lack of motivation and high desertions in the Afghan security forces. Naeem emphasised the need to combat insecurity by providing better services.
On the issue of peace negotiations with the Taliban Naeem argued that certain parts of the Taliban want peace and could be compromised with. Sultanzoy argued that the Taliban was a tool of foreign intelligence agencies, and that in order to marginalize the Taliban the Afghan people needed to unite behind a unifying goal. Hilal argued that the Taliban was a diverse group, with certain members being driven by poverty, whilst others were "agents of intelligence agencies." Hilal argued that the former parts could and should be negotiated with. Arsala argued that if the Taliban embraced politics, instead of violence, that they could be given a "chair in the cabinet."
Sultanzoy also argued that corruption was resulting in poverty, and that increases in pensions and salaries could be afforded through a reduction in corruption. Arsala also focused on the issue of corruption, arguing that "government administration overall must be reformed." Hilal advocated reducing corruption through a mixture of better policing and the digitizing of government records. Naeem argued that corruption was a major issue for the Afghan bureaucracy, and had increased over the past 12 years. He argued that as an issue it must be dealt with from the top down.
Hilal also argued that whilst women should be educated and involved in society, this should be done "within the limits of Sharia." Naeem argued that Afghan constitution and Afghan democracy had been achieved in a way in line with Islam. Sultanzoy argued that Afghanistan had made great sacrifices for democracy, and that equal rights under the law must be ensured. Arsala advocated an "independent, developed and Muslim Afghanistan."
Third debate The third debate took place on 4 March 2014 and included three candidates: Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, and Zalmai Rassoul. The debate focused on foreign policy. On the issue of the Durand Line, both Rassoul and Abdullah argued that the Afghan government alone cannot decide on the issue of the Durand Line, but that instead policy must be set according to the will of the people. Ahmadzai however argued that the issue of the Durand Line cannot be discussed if the conditions are not right.
All three candidates expressed their support for the Bilateral Security Agreement. On the subject of the zero-option, whereby the United States would fully pull out of Afghanistan, Rassoul argued that Afghanistan would still be in a position to accept international aid. Ahmadzai argued against the zero-option, stating that Afghan remained dangerous, but that Afghanistan would likely be stable by the end of the decade. Abdullah attacked Karzai's opposition to the zero-option, claiming that the danger of a zero-option had been caused by Karzai's "unbalanced and emotional decisions."
All three candidates accused Pakistan of aiding the Taliban. Abdullah claimed that Pakistan used the Taliban "as a tool for foreign policy." Rassoul argued that when discussing the issue a distinction had to be made between the Pakistani government and the Pakistani people, and that the Pakistani people "have been friends to the people of Afghanistan." Ahmadzai argued that extremism posed a threat to both countries, but that Afghan sovereignty had to be maintained, and that the Afghan government had to prevent Pakistan from destabilizing Afghanistan through proxies.
Opinion polls The 2014 election was the first election in Afghanistan to make use of opinion polling. A December 2013 poll by Glevum was the first of nine planned polls funded by the United States. The polls were to be conducted by three different companies, with the United States paying for them due to Afghan institutions lacking the ability and funding to conduct the polling themselves. Following the publication of a subsequent Democracy Institute poll some Afghan electoral authorities and candidate supporters alleged the polling had been biased. As response the United States cancelled funding for any further polling in order to avoid any perception of bias.