KABUL - As the campaign period for the 20 August elections kicked off last week, Kabul-based newspapers called on candidates to ensure a peaceful campaign period by unveiling their platforms instead of hitting each other.

“We are entering a historic period of presidential campaigns. We do need a peaceful atmosphere to pass this national test because the nation has to cross it to reach a brighter future as part of democratic values,” said the Kabul Times in its editorial on 16 June, the first day of the two-month campaign period.

On the same day, the Hasht-e-Subh Daily said: “As the election campaign starts, Afghans ought to review the history of the country and should not take for granted the chance they have found for voting. In other words, they should not cast their votes for those who are corrupt, liars and defamed.”

The following day, the same newspaper followed up its elections editorial, thus: “One of the points that can reflect the transparency, freeness, fairness of the elections to Afghans and the world, is ensuring the rights and security of journalists during the election process.”

The Nukhost Daily called on candidates to stick to the issues: “As campaigning kicks off in Afghan vote, the daily urges all the presidential and provincial councils’ nominees to conduct their election campaign free from lingual, religious and ethnic issues.”

On the other hand, the Daily Afghanistan stressed: “During the campaigning period the presidential and provincial councils’ nominees, instead of raising finger to each other, should attract the people’s vote by announcing their effective and comprehensive work plan.”

Meanwhile, the Erada Daily said: “It is for all election monitoring institutions to avoid any wrongdoing during the campaigning period in order to ensure the transparency of the elections.”

Instead of addressing the candidates, the Kabul Times called on the media to play its part in the elections: “Yesterday presidential and provincial council candidates started their campaigns. People in towns and villages are waiting for good messages of the candidates for the future of their country. It is the media which convey the ideas of the candidates to the public to judge. So an effective press is a bridge between candidates and the public.”

The newspapers’ collective call for statesmen-like campaigning echoes the appeal of the top UN official in Afghanistan, Kai Eide, for dignity and fairness in the entire election process.

“I appeal to candidates to campaign with dignity and fairness. It is the shared responsibility of all candidates to ensure that these elections strengthen Afghanistan’s democratic institutions and people’s confidence in the democratic process,” said Eide on 15 June, the eve of the campaign period for Afghanistan’s presidential and provincial council elections.

“Intimidation, inflammatory language and violence of any sort have no place in this election campaign. All candidates must conduct their campaign in a way which respects the rights of other candidates to campaign freely and without interference,” he added.

Mr Eide noted that these elections will be administered by Afghan authorities. “The UN and the international community at large will follow the election process closely and give its full support to an election process that is fair and credible,” he concluded.

The media in Afghanistan has largely thrived since the collapse of the Taliban regime at the end of 2001.

Television and radio stations have opened up across the country with hundreds of newspapers and magazines also being printed.

In the last elections in 2004 and 2005, there were only a small number of TV and radio stations, though that number has substantially increased in recent years to more than twenty major television stations in the country.

By Aurora V. Alambra, UNAMA