Who's Going To Be Afghanistan's Next President?
The United States is winding down more than 12 years of military involvement in Afghanistan, and for most Americans, the country is rapidly fading into the background.
At the same time, Afghans are entering uncharted territory. President Hamid Karzai, who has led Afghanistan since shortly after the Taliban were ousted in 2001, is barred from running for a third term.
So Afghanistan is poised to do what it's never done before: change leaders through a democratic election.
Eleven candidates are trying to replace Karzai in the April 5 election. Ten are Pashtuns, the dominant ethnic group. Candidates are already holding rallies, debating and wooing tribal leaders.
But with no reliable polling, it's hard to gauge support for the candidates, and there's no clear front-runner at this point.
There are many unanswered questions. Will the elections be fair (past votes here have been marred by fraud)? Will Karzai throw his political machinery behind a preferred successor — and if so, whom? Will the Taliban disrupt the voting as they have pledged to?
We'll be writing much more about the election as it approaches. For now, here are sketches of the top-tier candidates according to political analysts.
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