The Diplomat
Overview
Javid Faisal delivers speech during an election rally in Tologan village, Kandahar.
Javid Faisal delivers speech during an election rally in Tologan village, Kandahar.
Photo provided by Faisal’s campaign team
Leads

Move Over Warlords, Here Come Afghanistan’s Youth

Afghanistan’s election was a battle between “the narrative of past glory of war and the new narrative of the glory of democracy.”

By Ezzatullah Mehrdad

KABUL – Clad in a blue headscarf, Saleha Soadat appeared on campaign posters around the Afghan capital, Kabul. She was running for a seat in Afghanistan’s parliament.     

A former journalist, Soadat was among hundreds of young candidates – journalists, entrepreneurs, government employees, and civil society activists – that were competing for 249 parliament seats, a wave of young people that injected hope into the electoral process: Hope for change and hope to move past the country's warlord-dominated political landscape.    

“I voted to see change,” says Mohammad Imran, a 20-year-old voter from Paktia province, in the eastern region of Afghanistan. “I voted for a young candidate who holds a Masters degree.”

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The Authors

Ezzatullah Mehrdad is a freelance journalist based in Kabul, Afghanistan, where he produces long features and explanatory articles, focusing on politics and policy, development, human rights and realities of life in Afghanistan today.

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