Graft, poverty keep many Afghans away from polls

Dirt poor and wearied by corruption, many Afghans put the daily battle for bread ahead of voting in parliamentary elections on Saturday, ignoring official pleas for people to come out and choose new representatives.

"I'm not voting. I'm more interested in finding a job," said Faqir Jan, 35, a labourer seeking work near a mosque in central Kabul as millions of Afghans braved rocket attacks and Taliban threats to vote on Saturday.

"My family doesn't have anything to eat," he said, surrounded by a crowd of grimy day labourers hoping to get hired for construction work paying $4-$6 a day.

Security worries kept some voters away, after the Taliban attacked voting stations and officials, and sent anonymous "night letters" in areas they control warning people not to vote.

But in relatively stable areas like the capital Kabul, cynicism and disillusionment also ate into voter turnout in an election seen as vital for Afghanistan's stability.

Many ordinary Afghans have seen little benefit from billions of dollars of foreign aid poured into the country since the Taliban were ousted by US-backed Afghan forces in late 2001, and some have given up hoping for a good government.

"The candidates are just looking to fill their bellies," said Mohammad Yusuf, 50, a street vendor who opted to tend his handcart selling toys, nail clippers and padlocks rather than casting his vote on Saturday.

"They are all thieves."

After more than three decades of conflict, Afghanistan ranked 181st out of 182 countries worldwide in last year's United Nations Human Development rankings, a survey that covers life expectancy, education and income.

Public sector corruption is also seen as more rampant than in any other country apart from Somalia, according to Transparency International. As well as deterring voters tired of avaricious officials, graft kept some from even making it near a ballot box.

Kabul labourer Abdul Qaum, 32, said he was asked for a bribe when he tried to register to vote. He left without a voter registration card, disgusted with the electoral process.

"Who am I going to vote for anyway?" he said, standing in a garbage-strewn street in central Kabul.

"If we vote for a candidate today, tomorrow they'll just look out for themselves ... for their own interests."

Some 11.4 million Afghans are eligible to vote for 249 members of the wolesi jirga, or lower house of parliament. Low turnout would affect the credibility of the election, although no figures on participation were immediately available.

But despite flaws in the democratic process, shopkeeper Sultan Ahmed Safi said the vote represented Afghans' best shot at building a future for their country.

"Our country is fought over by American, Pakistani and British interests," said Safi, 52, proudly flourishing his index finger stained with blue ink after he cast his vote.

"Afghans need to decide their own future. It's our duty."