President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan stepped down for the 5 April 2014.  Because of term limits he is no longer eligible to run.  The candidates have been whittled down until it is now a 2 horse race between Abdullah Abdullah

and Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai

There are actually 8 candidates in the running but Abdullah and Ashraf are the front runners and Abdullah the clear favourite.

Abdullah achieved a majority on 5 April.  However, he failed to gain more than 50% of the electorate so they were required to go to a second round, 2 months later on 14 June 2014.

It seems like only yesterday that British soldiers were fighting and dying in Afghanistan to bring civilisation and democracy to that country.

Oh how the Afghans must envy us in the UK.  None of this 50% + malarkey.  Our David Cameron swept to power in the 2010 UK General Election with a healthy 23% of the electorate or 17% of the people.  Mind you he did have to recruit the overwhelming mandate of the Liberal Democrats with their 15% share of the electorate or 11% of the people.  Together, the Conservatives have a workable majority in Parliament with a stunning 38% of the electorate or 28% of the people.  In other words, they represent about a quarter of the people they Govern.

Of course there is nothing really new in the UK electoral system.  Since the last world war we have had the concept of the floating 2 million.  There has never been more that about 2 million votes, from a population above 60 million, separating the only two contending parties.  They generally pole about 22% – 25% of the electorate or much less of the people.

Who knows.  Perhaps some time in the future the UK will have a real democracy, a democracy where the people are governed by a real majority rather than a tiny minority.  A bit like …..

AFGHANISTAN

But that could be a long way off?