18 August 2009 - The candidate, clad in a simple salwar kameez, her head mostly hidden under a scarf, except for a tousle of thick black hair that deliberately manages to escape cover, enters a room filled with eager supporters.

Smiles exchanged, and a few handshakes later, she gathers herself and prepares to address them. There is, after all, an election to be won.

"Give me a vote and I will give you all education and freedom," she tells the crowd in Dari, who listen in unbroken silence. "Give me your vote and I will bring Afghanistan to the level of other countries," she further implores them with surprising maturity, her voice now slightly raised.

There's some more silence, then almost in unison, a burst of whistles, shouts, and cheers of "Zindabad, Sameera, I will give you my vote", convey the desired reply. The candidate laps it all up and proceeds to distribute cups of a freshly-prepared orange beverage.

Just days before Election Day in Afghanistan, this isn't a snippet from the presidential or provincial council campaign trail.

Sameera Hossaini, the candidate, is, in reality, a precocious 15-year-old school girl; the crowd is mainly composed of young boys and girls; and the event is actually a mock election taking place at the grounds of the Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC) in South Kabul, coincidentally only minutes away from the country's Parliament.

"This is an educational entertainment activity - we wanted these children to know and experience what is going on in their country right now. Through this they will hopefully learn that they have a voice, an opinion, and (the value of) one vote," explains David Mason, one of the facilitators of the mock elections.

Two hours into the event, Mason's ambitious plans for these children may have already been fulfilled, perhaps exceeded.

"In the future, I would like to become a presidential candidate for my country," says Hossaini, who currently studies in the ninth grade at Kabul's Roxana School.

"If I am a real president, I will change the situation of the country. I will push the education department to give education to all girls. I think that studying is not only about sitting in a class and copying something from a blackboard--there should be practical lessons as well," she says.

Today, however, there are more modest battles that require her urgent attention.

For instance, her main rival today is not, at least yet, Karzai, but a 14-year-old boy, Faizullah, an acrobat, who claims to have the patronage of the jugglers and fellow acrobats.

"They'll vote for me. They were the ones who asked me stand for President," he says, reassured by the sheer number of boys who hover around him at the designated campaign HQ, which, in erstwhile apolitical times, could have served as a gymnasium.

True to his craft, Faizullah, the able acrobat, who also displays unusual signs of political dexterity, is preparing to outflank his four competitors, three of whom are women.

While Sameera and some others decided to use a part of their 800 Afs budget - given by the organizers - to treat potential voters to home-made beverages, Faizullah, instead, sent his vice-presidential nominee to the market to buy "soft drinks and burgers" to ensure that the jugglers and acrobats don't swing to the opposite camp.

Fortunately for him - and the others - the 150-strong electorate will have other opportunities to be wooed, moved, and enticed.

"Later in the day, the candidates will give speeches and explain to the voters why they should be elected. There will also be campaigning, a talk show with the candidates, and a round table discussion," says Sameer Rohan, the event organizer, who also works at MMCC as an instructor.

With the speeches over, and voting to begin in a few hours, Sameera's campaign gathers momentum.

Her youngest supporter, Shabnam, 10, joins her in pasting freshly printed posters around the compound.

On one such poster, lies a picture of the candidate and her vice-presidents, with an election slogan in bold: 'A vote for me is a vote for peace and honesty.' The children of Kabul are learning fast.

By Aditya Mehta, UNAMA

Website: Mobile Mini Circus for Children