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Afghan campaign draws to a close Afghan campaign draws to a close
(about 4 hours later)
The candidates in Afghanistan's presidential election are making their final appeals to voters on the last day of campaigning before Thursday's poll. The last day of campaigning is taking place ahead of Thursday's presidential election in Afghanistan, which Taliban militants have threatened to disrupt.
The election is taking place amid mounting violence in the country, with Taliban militants threatening to harm anyone who takes part. Notorious ex-warlord Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum endorsed incumbent President Hamid Karzai at a rally after flying in from exile in Turkey.
There are fears that the turnout could be low as a result. Mr Karzai faces over 30 challengers but is seen as the frontrunner in the race.
However a BBC correspondent says western officials believe democracy is taking root in the country. Two of Mr Karzai's main rivals, who formerly served under him as ministers, also held their own final rallies.
This is despite recent militant attacks. Mass rallies
'Normal election' In the capital Kabul, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, addressed a crowd of 10,000 supporters, many wearing blue shifts or waving blue flags.
The incumbent, President Hamid Karzai, is facing more than 30 challengers, including two of his former ministers. The return of ex-warlord Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum has alarmed the US
The candidates have spent the last day allowed for campaigning trying to garner as many votes as possible. The ex-Finance Minister, Ashraf Ghani, addressed a rally of 5,000 in the eastern Nangarhar province.
The BBC's Ian Pannell in Afghanistan says that the effort to win votes has all the trappings of a normal election. Mr Ghani, who is running on a campaign of economic development, vowed to replace the "corrupt government with a legitimate one", according to French news agency, AFP.
So far everything is going according to our plans and there is no major security incident Zakria BarakaziDeputy Chief Electoral Officer, Independent Electoral Commission class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8173389.stm">Afghan elections: Main candidates class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8204207.stm">Row over Afghan wife-starving law class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8203711.stm">Deaths take UK Afghan toll to 201 Meanwhile in the north of the country, thousands of Afghans attended a rally led by infamous warlord Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum, a key ally of Mr Karzai and his former military chief-of-staff.
There have been rallies, posters and adverts, our correspondent says, and on Sunday night there was even a presidential debate on television. "We need to go with Hamid Karzai into the future," Gen Dostum told cheering supporters in Shiberghan, his home city.
But most Afghans are poor, illiterate and are living in the countryside, far from the glow of this campaign, he adds. The UN and the US both expressed concern at the timing of Gen Dostum's return and any prospective role he may have in government.
There are concerns that turnout could be low. In a live televised election debate on Sunday, Mr Karzai defended his alliances with several Afghan warlords, saying they served the interests of national unity.
Our correspondent says that there is evidence of corruption but above all it is the ongoing war with the Taliban - within at least a third of the country - that makes this election far from normal. Taliban threat
The insurgents have vowed to disrupt the poll and have threatened to harm anyone who takes part. The election is taking place amid mounting violence in the country, with Taliban militants threatening to harm anyone who takes part. There are fears that the turnout could be low as a result.
But having invested so heavily in terms of time, money and even lives, western officials are likely to declare the vote a success - whatever the flaws and challenges. class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8173389.stm">Afghan elections: Main candidates class="" href="/2/hi/south_asia/8204207.stm">Row over Afghan wife-starving law class="" href="/2/hi/uk_news/8203711.stm">Deaths take UK Afghan toll to 201
In Sunday's live televised election debate, Mr Karzai was challenged about his alliances with warlords. A survey by the BBC's Afghan service suggests the government has limited or no control in 30% of the country.
He was taken to task by two rival candidates, ex-ministers Ramazan Bashardost and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai. The survey is based on assessments by reporters in the field who found that in 4% of Afghanistan's districts, the government provides no security or services.
But Mr Karzai defended his alliances in the 90-minute discussion, saying they served the interests of national unity. The majority of them are in the south, where most Taliban attacks have taken place.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ex-warlord who was Mr Karzai's military chief-of-staff, has returned to Kabul from Turkey, where he has been living in exile since last year. A spokesman for President Karzai said the government did not agree with the findings and there were security problems in just a few districts.
The United Nations and the United States both expressed concern at the timing of his return and any prospective role he may have in government. The BBC's Ian Pannell in Afghanistan says that there is evidence of corruption, but above all it is the ongoing war with the Taliban - within at least a third of the country - that makes this election far from normal.
But having invested so heavily in terms of time, money and even lives, Western officials are likely to declare the vote a success - whatever the flaws and challenges, he adds.