When outgoing Afghan leader Hamid Karzai moves out of the presidential palace post-elections to take up residence next door, he will be relinquishing power but not influence, as he seeks an active public role in his “retirement” years.
Karzai is due to step down in the coming weeks after Sunday’s run-off election, paving the way for Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.
The elections are meant to signal a fresh start for Afghanistan after the 13-year rule of Karzai dominated by the US-led military intervention that followed the fall of the Taliban in 2001.
Karzai’s relations with the US have collapsed, his regime is accused of massive corruption, and the country is still beset by the Taliban insurgency as NATO troops pull out and aid money declines.
“The truth is that President Karzai built up such a vast patronage network that he has to stay influential to keep his people happy,”said Bette Dam, a Dutch author who interviewed Karzai extensively for her forthcoming book on the President.