Despite their constituents having scarce internet access and poor literacy rates, Afghani presidential candidates are striving to create an online presence. Abdullah Abdullah, President Hamid Karzai’s leading challenger, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, Karzai’s former finance minister, and Ramazan Bashardost, Afghanistan’s equivalent to Ralph Nader, have created robust campaign websites and active Facebook pages. The candidates are using social media tools to bring their messages to a broader audience and solicit campaign contributions. The candidates hope the internet can help level the playing field with their chief competitor, President Karzai, who benefits from the coveted “president.gov.af” domain.
Comments