Obama congratulates Afghanistan on election turnout
President Barack Obama congratulated the millions of people in Afghanistan who voted in the country's presidential election on Saturday, calling the event a milestone in their drive to take full responsibility for their country.
Turnout was 7 million out of 12 million eligible voters, or about 58%, according to preliminary estimates in what will bring the first-ever democratic transfer of power in a country plagued by conflict.
"We commend the Afghan people, security forces, and elections officials on the turnout for today's vote - which is in keeping with the spirited and positive debate among candidates and their supporters in the run-up to the election," Obama said in a statement.
The United States has been at odds with the current Afghanistan president, Hamid Karzai, who has refused US entreaties to sign a bilateral security agreement that would permit about 8,000 US troops to remain in the country after the formal American withdrawal at the end of this year.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/05/barack-obama-congratulates-afghanistan-elections