Afghanistan Steps To First-Ever Presidential Election
Some 7 million Afghans, around 80 percent of eligible voters, have put their names on electoral rolls for presidential elections scheduled for October 9, 2004. The incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai faces fierce challenges from warlords as the multi-ethnic Afghanistan is approaching the first-ever presidential election. One of the prominent warlords, Uzbek General Abdul Rashid Dostum, announced his candidacy for the race on Thursday, July 22, with the support of two other powerful warlords.