He may have little chance of winning, but Dr. Abdullah Abdullah is turning the Afghan presidential election into a legitimate two-horse race.
President Hamid Karzai remains well ahead in the polls, but after a month of campaigning, Abdullah is starting to pick up significant support.
A recent U.S. government-funded poll put Karzai at 36 per cent support and Abdullah at 20 per cent. About 20 per cent of those polled were undecided.
The winner of the Afghan presidential election needs 50 per cent of the vote, and Abdullah may have enough support to force a run-off vote with Karzai.
Thousands of Afghans turned out to see Adbullah in Kandahar recently, the Pashtun heartland that forms part of Karzai's base of support. But Abdullah lacks the vital support needed from many of the powerful regional warlords, which Karzai has.
Adbullah's main criticism of Karzai throughout the campaign has been that he isn't a leader but a dealmaker. It is a criticism that sticks in the minds of many voters who are disillusioned with progress made in the war-torn country and think foreign powers are in control.
Karzai won the 2004 election easily on the first ballet, but since then he's faced criticism due to government corruption and a lack of everyday security.
A recent United Nations report suggests there is evidence Karzai's officials were using government resources to help swing the vote his way, but the allegations have not been proven. The report also said the Taliban was hurting preparation for the election.
It is only the second independent presidential election in Afghanistan.
Abdullah, a doctor by profession, served as foreign minister under the Northern Alliance government.
Fluent in both English and French, he worked in Pakistan in the 1980s and was an advisor to Commander Ahmad Shah Massoud in the resistance against the Soviet Union.
The election is set for Aug. 20.
With a report from South Asian Bureau Chief Janis Mackey Frayer in Kandahar
