On the streets of Kabul, people sounded frustrated with the elections, saying they cared more for peace than politics and voting because they said the leaders had let people down KABUL: The campaign for the presidential election got off to a violent start on Sunday in Afghanistan under the shadow of the deadline of US and Taliban talks, amid less enthusiasm and an escalation of violence. The Sept. 28 vote, which has been delayed twice so far, is crucial for the stability of Afghanistan. The country has been locked in decades of war and has been facing deep political division, as well as an ethnic rift. The prospect of US-led troops leaving the country 18 years after ousting the Taliban is causing fresh concern. Fraud is seen as the second major concern among the 17 candidates who are standing against the incumbent, Ashraf Ghani. Afghans largely feel disappointed about almost all of the polls held since the Taliban’s ouster, which were highly rigged and mismanaged. In addition, many leaders have fail to deliver on their promises. On Sunday, there were far fewer posters of the candidates in key parts of Kabul, compared to past electoral campaigns. In some areas, old posters of candidates for last October’s parliamentary vote outnumbered those of the new presidential nominees. Addressing a rally, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who serves as chief executive and is one of Ghani’s main rivals, indirectly blamed Ghani for many of the shortcomings in the government that was created under a US deal after the massively fraudulent presidential election of 2014, in which both Ghani and Abdullah failed to win simple majority. He blamed Ghani for missing opportunities in the past five years, for giving people false promises and for favoring and keeping in office only those who remain loyal to him, regardless of their abilities. Abdullah said he would not abolish the position of CE, while Ghani is pushing for a strong presidential system. “(Ghani’s) promise is one thing, but (his) action is another thing. Has the time not come for people to change this through their votes?” he told the crowd of nearly 2,000 people who had gathered in a giant wedding hall. He said Afghans needed to unite to “salvage Afghanistan” after decades of war. In a campaign gathering in a different part of the city, Ghani took credit for sidelining some of the country’s powerful regional chieftains since he assumed power, and he vowed to complete the building of democracy in Afghanistan. He drew applause from the crowd. But as he was giving his speech, a well-dressed young man stood up and disrupted the incumbent, accusing him of lying to the people, according to eyewitnesses. One of Ghani’s guards dragged him out of the rally, they said.Ghani said that “peace is coming to Afghanistan and talks (with the Taliban) will be serious and fundamental in a principal manner.” Some of those attending the rallies are being bussed in. They are being given free accommodation and food during the rallies. But there was generally less enthusiasm in the audiences. At Abdullah’s gathering, one of his key allies urged the participants to clap with fervor. Some people in both camps expressed doubts that their man could save Afghanistan. Neither candidate gave any major outline of their manifesto. On the streets of Kabul, people sounded frustrated with the elections, saying they cared more for peace than politics and voting because they said the leaders had let people down. “I want the war to end and they, like the rest of the candidates, are not capable of bringing peace here,” said a taxi driver called Shamsullah. “People are tired of the bogus promises the candidates come up with. We all want peace, elections can take place later after peace comes.” Washington, which has held at least seven rounds of talks with the Taliban, says it hopes to reach a deal with the Taliban ahead of Sept. 1. Its special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been in Kabul for nearly a week, hoping to resume talks with the Taliban. A deal might lead to a further postponement of elections, according to some observers. The Afghan Analyst Network (AAN) cited one candidate talking about the skepticism that would be generated if the polls were delayed for third time. “Ongoing peace talks between the US and the Taleban, and the intra-Afghan dialogue have sparked what candidate Shaida Muhammad Abdali described as a “lack of trust” as to whether the elections would go ahead on Sept. 28,” AAN said in the report.