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CNN Live Sunday

Elections Afghan Style

Aired December 30, 2001 - 15:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Can Afghanistan find political unity in the midst of all the chaos? That is one of the biggest challenges facing the newly installed interim government. But the problem starts at the local level, where political squabbling is part of the landscape.

Welcome to village elections Afghan style.

More now from our CNN senior international correspondent Walter Rodgers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mohammed Moree (ph) leads a village delegation to a tribal meeting of Afghan elders. He's been mayor of Sabra Soffla (ph) since Harry Truman was president of the United States. Moree (ph) survived a long, bloody war with the Soviet Union, Civil War with the Taliban, and more recently, the U.S. bombing of Tora Bora.

"Let's forget the past and now let's sit like brothers," he says. It's his campaign speech. Mohammed Moree (ph) wants another term as mayor.

Those who want to be selected village mayors sit with the tribal elders in a kind of nominating caucus. They pray Allah will solve their problems and unite Afghanistan. Outside, Omar Gul (ph) says not likely.

"Nobody trusts anybody here," he complains, sporting a belt he took off a dead Russian soldier. Inside, a tribal leader rejects a mayoral candidate, saying "he's deceived the people, not a good man."

Pajee Abdullah (ph) agrees and reminds the tribal council of how the Taliban abused power. "Barbaric" was his word.

Dhat Mohammed (ph) wants to be mayor of another village. He denounces corruption under the Taliban, but says he sees nothing wrong with growing opium poppies as a cash crop.

(on camera): Twenty years of war here does not make political reconstruction any easier. Many of those Afghans who should be participating are still refugees, but cross the border in Pakistan. Still, the tribal leaders say if the dissatisfaction factor gets too high again, they'll just call another election.

Judging by arguments heard outside the tribal elders meeting, nobody's happy. And Afghan unity is but the latest oxymoron.

Dhat Mohammed (ph) again promises if elected, nobody will have to pay him any bribes, but he's a rich man anyway. Still, this villager warns, "If Dhat Mohammed (ph) is elected mayor, I will personally kill him."

Unfazed, Dhat Mohammed (ph) claimed he's won by default, but there was never any vote, just a lot of shouting. Underlying the seeming chaos is the strong hand of the warlord, Hajee Abdullah (ph). I asked him what happens if a new mayor turns out to be a disappointment.

"When a new mayor doesn't obey us, we will dismiss him, punish him, put him in jail." The gun pretty much still decides everything in this country. And the abject poverty suffered by the Afghan people may have to be endured even longer, at least until after the next election.

Walter Rodgers, CNN, Gorekil (ph), Afghanistan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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