KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans head to the polls to elect a new president amid high security as the Taliban vow to disrupt elections, warning citizens to stay home or risk being hurt.
The leading contenders are incumbent President Ashraf Ghani and his partner in the 5-year-old unity government, Abdullah Abdullah, who already alleges power abuse by his opponent.
Fear and frustration at the relentless corruption that has characterized successive governments rank high among Afghan concerns.
Tens of thousands of police, intelligence officials and Afghan National Army personnel have been deployed throughout the country to protect nearly 5,000 election centers.
In Kabul, traffic is light with police and army scattered throughout the city, stopping cars and looking for anything out of the ordinary.
The Taliban say they will take particular aim at Afghanistan’s cities.
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