KABUL - As the election date approaches, debate among the people of central Afghanistan to choose the next president is gaining pace.

At lunch break in Bamyan, villagers gather at the local restaurants to talk about the upcoming elections on 20 August, discussing their selection for the best candidate among the 41 presidential hopefuls.

Women are not behind in the debate as they actively participate in the gatherings organized by the candidates and take part in discussions to express their views and be familiar with the agenda of each candidate.

“In Bamyan, women are even more interested to play a part in the elections, they see this event as a big opportunity for them to have their say and contribute to a peaceful and democratic Afghanistan,” said Halima Rezayee, 27, an election education worker employed by an NGO in Bamyan.

“The only way is to express their choice and vote for someone who can ensure equal rights for them,” Rezayee added.

“Although the situation for women’s education in Afghanistan has improved in the last few years we still expect more efforts for girls’ education from our next president,” said Zahra Ali, 20, sitting on a bench with her fellow classmates in Bamyan University’s recreational area.

“As through education women can defend their rights,” she added.

Fatima Kazemiyan, the head of Bamyan’s Women’s Affairs Department, said: “The Women’s Affairs Ministry cannot do enough with its policy making role, it should also have an implementation function, and the next president should allocate a special budget for women empowerment programmes.”

“The ministerial cabinet should be gender balanced and should have more women members,” Kazemiyan added.

Shovelling in the green potato fields near Bamyan’s destroyed Buddha sites, 30 year old Gul Chahra said her village needs a potato storage facility: “We need to store potatoes and supply them to market when the prices are good.”

“The Government should do more in agriculture as this is the backbone of Afghanistan’s economy,” she said.

“The important thing for the women of Afghanistan is freedom. They are free by nature and should not be bounded by new laws,” said Ruqia Hussaini, an employee of the Women Development Organization.

“The women of Afghanistan expect the next president will do more to provide a good environment for women to grow,” Hussaini added.

Zulaikha, 45, has been collecting bushes and wild plants from the surrounding mountains of her village to store and use in winter since she was 12 years old.

For Zulaikha, a house wife and a mother to seven children, the best president is simply someone who can provide her family with fuel for heating in the long and harsh winter months.

“We need gas and electricity or other types of fuel for heating for my children,” Zulaikha said.

By Jaffar Rahim, UNAMA