Can Afghanistan Afford Another Election?

In the wake of significant fraud in Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential and provincial council elections, the Afghan government has announced that it will proceed to hold parliamentary elections on schedule in May 2010.  Yet few if any reforms have been made, and there is little to indicate that the conduct of the parliamentary elections will be any better than last year's vote.

The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), comprised of Afghan and international commissioners, was responsible for ruling on electoral fraud in the 2009 contest, and ultimately invalidated more than 1 million presidential ballots. ECC Commissioners Grant Kippen and Scott Worden will discuss the lessons learned from the ECC’s investigations into fraud in the 2009 elections and what they mean for the prospects of holding a fair and credible election in 2010.

Speakers

• Isabelle De Ruyt
  Desk Officer for Afghanistan, Electoral Assistance Division, United Nations
• Grant Kippen
  Chairman of the ECC in both the 2005 and 2009 Afghan Elections
• Scott Worden
  Senior Rule of Law Adviser, U.S. Institute of Peace
  Former international commissioner on the ECC in 2009
• John Dempsey, Moderator
  Rule of Law Adviser, U.S. Institute of Peace