Karzai Warns Against International Meddling in Elections

Afghanistan Not a Puppet State, President Insists

by Jason Ditz, March 18, 2009

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says that he will announce whether or not he intends to run for another term soon, though it is widely assumed that the incumbent will in fact run and the opposition has already pressured him to resign instead of facing a campaign against a sitting president.

Karzai also had a few words of warning for the international community as the elections loom later this year: declaring that Afghanistan is not and will never be a puppet state. Karzai has warned them not to meddle in the nation’s politics, adding “that is not their job.”

Karzai has made a growing number of enemies in the west with his loud criticism of the behavior of international forces in Afghanistan, and the Obama Administration is reportedly eager to see him ousted. So far no one candidate has emerged as a clear front-runner to replace him in the vote.

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