Democracy got a chance for life Saturday in Afghanistan.

There were problems, some of them serious, but the fact that the election was held should be counted as a foreign policy success for the Bush administration.

Just three years ago, the Taliban controlled the country, forcing its extreme views upon the population and providing sanctuary to al-Qaida and its leader, Osama bin Laden.

That any election could be held in the shadow of such dysfunction is a tribute to the efforts by the Afghan people, the international community and the United States.

Things got off to a shaky start. Many of the candidates who oppose interim President Hamid Karzai raised serious and troubling accusations of voting fraud and intimidation. Reporters on the scene describe witnessing multiple votes by the same people.

At one point, the opponents threatened to boycott the process. But the crisis, it appears, has been averted, and an investigation has been launched.

It will likely take several weeks to tally the vote, but it’s likely that Karzai will hold on to power. If he doesn’t receive a clear majority of the vote, a runoff election will be held.

Security remains a problem in much of Afghanistan. An assassination attempt was made against Karzai’s running mate just days before the election. Much of the country remains under the control of warlords and drug cartels, and there are large lawless zones ruled by the gun. The Taliban and a reconstituted al-Qaida, whose strength is not known, remain a threat.

The road to a stable Afghanistan does not end with the election. It begins. The United States, which has consistently shortchanged Afghanistan on money and troops, must remain committed to the country. That means allocating more aid, finishing the job of rooting out the Taliban and al-Qaida, and helping the country develop an economy that isn’t dependent on opium.