Afghan President Ashraf Ghani inaugurated the long-delayed distribution of electronic national ID cards Thursday, hailing it as an important step toward securing national elections, but his governing partner warned that the move could instead trigger a political and ethnic crisis. Fraud marred the past two elections, and the 2014 contest between Ghani and Abdullah was so discredited that the two finally agreed to share power. On April 22, a suicide bomber on foot detonated in a crowd of people waiting to apply for their ID cards, killing 57 and wounding scores. But three years and many delays later, the fight over what information should be on the card is ongoing. may turn into an ethnic crisis, and it will be a big opportunity for those who are playing ethnic cards,” said Najib Mahmoud, a scholar of law and political science.

Source: Washington Post May 03, 2018 19:30 UTC