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Afghanistan's Presidential Election, By The Numbers


Afghan Election Commission workers carry a ballot box as a police officer stands guard at a warehouse in Herat on April 3.
Afghan Election Commission workers carry a ballot box as a police officer stands guard at a warehouse in Herat on April 3.
Afghanistan’s presidential election on April 5 will usher in a new era after 12 years of rule by President Hamid Karzai and as foreign combat troops withdraw, leaving the country to fend off the Taliban.

1
The vote marks the first democratic transfer of power in Afghan history.

2
The election is in two rounds. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round, a second round must be called within two weeks after the announcement of the first results. Analysts say a second round is highly likely.

3
This is the third presidential poll in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. Provincial elections are also being held.

6
The number of months that diplomatic sources say it could take before the name of the new president is finally confirmed.

8
The number of candidates running to succeed current President Hamid Karzai, who is barred from seeking a third term in office by the Afghan Constitution.

12
The number of years that Hamid Karzai has been Afghanistan's leader.

35
The percentage of new voting cards in 2014 issued to women.

3,000
The number of donkeys being used by election authorities to carry ballots and voting boxes to villages in remote areas of the country.

28,500
The number of polling centers and smaller polling stations spread across the vast, mountainous country. Election officials expect that 10 percent of them could be closed due to security threats, however.

200,000
The number of Afghan election observers who will be stationed around the country to monitor the vote, which was marked by widespread fraud in 2009.

350,000
The number of Afghan security personnel expected to be on duty to provide security during the vote, including police cadets still in the academy.

1,200,000
The number of ballots thrown out in the last presidential election because they were deemed to be fraudulent.

3,800,000
The number of new voter cards issued for this year's election, according to Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission.

4,600,000
Turnout in the last presidential election in 2009, which was considered to be low. The threat of Taliban violence may keep turnout low again this year.

12,000,000
How many Afghans are eligible to vote in this election from a total population of around 30 million.

15,000,000
The number of ballot papers printed by the government for the 2014 election.

20,000,000
The approximate number of valid voter cards believed to be in circulation. This includes valid voter cards held by Afghan immigrants in Pakistan and Iran. But the system of distributing voter cards is easily manipulated and they are easily obtained and transferred.
Sources: RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan, Reuters, "The Guardian," and ABC

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