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On Saturday, April 5, Afghans will head to the polls and vote in Afghanistan’s 2014 presidential election. With current President Hamid Karzai constitutionally barred from running for a third term, the election could mark Afghanistan’s first peaceful transfer of power between two democratically elected governments. No single frontrunner has emerged from the pack of nine presidential contenders, making the possibility of a run-off between the two candidates who receive the most votes – though shy of the necessary 50 percent – more likely.

Faiysal AliKhan, a Carnegie Fellow with the ¹ú²úÊÓƵ Foundation’s International Security Program, spent the last month traveling around Afghanistan, speaking to provincial governors, tribal leaders, government ministers, and several of the candidates about the election, the transition from Karzai to his successor, and the withdrawal of foreign troops at the end of December.

¹ú²úÊÓƵ hosted a discussion with AliKhan, who shared what he learned on the campaign trail. Other experts discussed what the 2014 election will mean for Afghanistan’s future.

Join the conversation online using #Afghanistan2014 and following @NatSecNAF.