WARDAK GOVERNOR FEDAI CRITICIZES ON ELECTION RUNOFF

C O N F I D E N T I A L KABUL 003473

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/29/2019
TAGS: KDEM PGOV AF
SUBJECT: WARDAK GOVERNOR FEDAI CRITICIZES ON ELECTION RUNOFF

Classified By: IPA Coordinator Scott F. Kilner for Reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d)


1. (C) Summary: On 25 October Wardak Governor Fedai
expressed his concerns to Task Force (TF) Spartan about the
upcoming election runoff. He believes the international
community made a "very big mistake" by pressing President
Karzai for a second round. According to Fedai, the public
image of President Karzai, surrounded by non-Afghans during
the October 21 announcement, is being used by the Taliban and
others in their negative information operations against
GIRoA. Governor Fedai's opinions were also mirrored by many
other Afghans throughout the rest of Wardak province during
separate Coalition civ-mil engagements. End Summary.


2. (C) During a 25 October meeting in Mayden Shahr, Wardak
Governor Fedai strongly criticized the process that has led
to a second round of elections. He said that the
international community made "a very big mistake" by pressing
for a second round and that he predicts "a darkness after the
election." He also related that he has received a "strong"
communication from the Taliban discouraging participation in
the second round. The Governor said that the Taliban was
exploiting the fact that President Karzai was surrounded at
the press conference by non-Afghans, as if he were "in hand
cuffs" and forced to speak as the "aggressors" forced him to
speak. The Governor criticized the fact that there was not a
meaningful Afghan dimension to the announcement of the second
round and that the international community "did not respect
public opinion."


3. (C) Governor Fedai also made a number of post-election
predictions. The first is that the turnout would be so low
that a Loya Jirga would have to be called to settle the
"national emergency." The second is that the outcome would
lead to a "civil war" between the north and the south. A
third possibility would be a weak coalition government that
would only embolden the insurgency.


4. (C) Governor Fedai considers the international community
too idealistic, and he places the blame for poor policies on
poor advisors in Washington who do not know the country. He
criticized people who come for a week or a month and then
think they "know" Afghanistan. This was especially true, in
his opinion, of the IEC. He advised "if you want to defeat
your Afghan enemies you have to do it the Afghan way."


5. (C) Likewise, Coalition civilian-military leadership in
Wardak heard similar opinions in their separate engagements
with the population at large. Numerous Wardakians feel that
the international community unnecessarily pressured President
Karzai to make it appear that the system works. Others, who
said they voted, commented that their vote might not have
been counted due to international scrutiny. The resignation
of the Afghan representative to the ECC fed this impression.
In the end, Wardak residents believe President Karzai, "will
win and we'll have wasted time and money, or he'll lose and
the government will likely fall apart because the
international community is closing down Pashtu polling sites."


6. (C) Comment: While Fedai is a strong supporter of
President Karzai, he is also a measured politician. He is not
known for expressing such opinions without having given them
prior thought and consideration. That said, Fedai also
recognizes and appreciates the value of the international
community to Afghanistan, and to Wardak in particular.
Regardless of how the runoff elections turn out, Governor
Fedai will continue to be an ally of the Coalition and a
positive force in the province. End Comment.


7. (U) This message was drafted by Task Force Spartan.
EIKENBERRY