Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday he is considering either holding elections a year earlier - in 2013 - or accelerating the withdrawal of international combat troops so that the country does not have to deal with major security and political transitions at the same time.
Speaking to reporters in Kabul, Karzai said he is concerned that holding a major election in 2014, the year in which most U.S. and NATO combat forces are scheduled to leave the country, could prove too disruptive. He said he is thinking instead about moving up either the troop withdrawal or the vote.
"Can we bring either the transition and the return of international forces to 2013, so we can have the other agenda fulfilled in 2014 with less to do? Or should we allow the transition process to complete itself in 2014, but bring the presidential election one year earlier to 2013?" Karzai pondered.
Under Afghanistan's constitution, the president cannot serve more than two five-year terms. That means a vote must be held before the end of 2014 to elect a successor to Karzai, who won a second five-year term in 2009.
Karzai said Thursday that no decision has been made, though, on whether to move forward the election or accelerate the troop withdrawal, nor will it be made in the near future.
The Afghan president made the comments during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Kabul. The NATO chief reinforced the point that the international coalition's support for Afghanistan will not end after the 2014 withdrawal date.
"The whole international community will stay committed to Afghanistan and stay committed to contribute to the financing of the Afghan security forces. So we will not abandon Afghanistan. We will continue to help and assist Afghanistan," said Rasmussen.
Rasmussen said that at next month's NATO summit in Chicago, leaders from more than 50 countries will take part in mapping out the next phase of the transition, in order to provide funding, training, and support for the transfer of security responsibilities to Afghan forces.
The NATO secretary-general said the security transition process is on track, and that Afghan forces already have taken the lead in 40 percent of all conventional operations and in areas where half of Afghanistan's population lives.
Afghan security forces now number about 330,000 and are to increase to 352,000 by the end of the year. Rasmussen said the number of Afghan personnel may be reduced to 230,000 over time, and that subsidizing the smaller force would cost Western nations just over $4 billion. But he said that troop numbers would depend on security conditions on the ground and the capacity of security forces.
The United States also recently concluded agreements with Afghanistan that shift responsibilities for detainees and special forces operations to Afghan control. Those issues had been obstacles to a long-term strategic partnership pact that is set to include economic and development assistance, as well as authorize a reduced U.S. military presence beyond 2014.
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