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Afghan Presidential Debate Promo

Live Blog -- Afghan Presidential Debates

Radio Free Afghanistan and Afghan National Radio and TV are holding two presidential debates on February 15 and 16. Gandhara will provide live updates during the debates.

DAY 1: Akbar Ayazi, RFE/RL's regional director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, moderated the first presidential debate on February 15 (Saturday) between 1600 Afghanistan local time (UTC, 1130) and 1800 (UTC, 1330).

Islamist leader Qutbuddin Hilal, former Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, former lawmaker Daud Sultanzoi and former Governor Gul Agha Sherzai participated in the debate.

DAY 2: Akbar Ayazi, RFE/RL's regional director for Afghanistan and Pakistan, is moderated the second presidential debate on February 16 (Sunday) from 1600 Afghanistan local time (UTC, 1130) to 1800 (UTC, 1330).

Former Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani, former senior presidential adviser Hedayat Amin Arsala and Prince Mohammad Nader Naim, grandson of former President Daud Khan's brother, participated in the second debate.

Abubakar Siddique
12:13 16.2.2014
Arsala: I am proud to have participated in the Jihad against the Soviet occupation. I never used my role in that struggle to grab power. Competition and the lust for power divided our country. Foreign powers were also involved in this. We now have an opportunity to put our country on the right track and to provide security to our people.
12:11 16.2.2014
Ghani: My father and my uncle too were the victims of war. Reforming the political system is the key. We need to change the thinking so we can build institutions and refrain from corruption. Meritocracy is important.
12:09 16.2.2014
Naim: My family members were the first victims of war [during the communist coup in 1978]. So I can closely identify with the more than a million Afghan victims of the war.
12:07 16.2.2014
Akbar Ayazi -- Second Question: What do you think about accountability of the people who have exploited the name of Jihad against the Soviets in the 1980s and engaged in the civil war in the 1990s?

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