Business booms ahead of Afghan election

KABUL: If you want to hold a family function such as a birthday or wedding ceremony in Kabul’s posh hotels, you need to be patient and revise your schedule as they are usually booked up several weeks in advance.
The smell of food is often strong as you walk into these hotels, as thousands of kilograms of rice, meat, chicken and fruit are served daily.
The campaign for the Oct. 20 election has created a short-term boom for certain types of businesses in Kabul and other major cities. Many of the capital’s famous barbers and beauty salons have been working overtime in recent weeks and earning far more money than they normally do. So too have the media and advertising firms.
Millions of dollars have been spent by some candidates during their month-long campaign, according to unofficial estimates. Some even pay would-be voters and give them free food, but others cannot afford to do so. Candidate and former minister Ramazan Bashardost does not feed or pay people to vote. On the contrary, he sells his business cards to would-be voters to cover fuel money for his vehicle.
He urges them, “with a relaxed conscience,” to take food and cash from rich candidates, but to vote for those who have not enriched themselves via corruption.