Afghanistan held parliamentary elections on October 20 amid very challenging circumstances. Despite significant voter turnout in several provinces, local officials and police were unable to realize a fully credible and peaceful election. Close to 200 attacks took place on Election Day, and many voters were forced to either wait for extended periods because of technical and organizational challenges, or return home without casting their vote. The increased engagement of women in the election process presents one of the few bright spots.

Afghan Women Defy Violence and Vote

In a fragile, war-torn Afghanistan, elections present a perfect target for violent extremist groups to undercut any expectation that a democratically elected government will offer tangible improvements. As expected, the election was tainted by attacks against police, polling stations, campaign events and voters, despite the deployment of 70,000 Afghan security forces to ensure election security.

In the weeks before Election Day, seven attacks killed approximately 55 people, mostly at election events, like campaign meetings. The police and Interior Ministry officials reported a total of 111 causalities on Election Day; at least 100 of those killed and wounded were civilians. These security risks were compounded by operation errors, which in many cases prevented Afghan citizens from voting (as detailed by USIP’s Scott Worden).

Women’s Increased Participation

One of the few bright spots of the vote was the increased engagement by women, both as candidates, and as voters. Similar to many other conflict environments or fragile democracies, Afghan women face a disproportionately high risk of election violence, in the form of threats, kidnappings, or killings. A week before the election, a blast at an election rally of a female candidate killed 22 people in northeastern Takhar province. In a pre-election assessment, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems identified financial discrimination, online harassment, and the pressure to commit fraud as other important risks women face during the election campaign.

Despite all the challenges, an unprecedented 417 female candidates, accounting for 16 percent of all candidates, contested seats in the lower house of Parliament, the Wolesi Jirga, representing a 3 percent increase from 2010 (338 women out of 2,541 candidates), and a 4 percent increase from 2005 (323 out of 2,709 candidates). Beyond the explicit threat of insurgent groups to women candidates, women voters—who made up 34% of registered voters this election—also face significant physical and cultural barriers to voting.

The increased participation of women in the electoral process presents an important step in peacebuilding efforts. Afghan women have proven that when provided with the necessary legal protection as equal citizens they overcome the personal and societal challenges they face every day.

Related Publications

Elite Capture and Corruption of Security Sectors

Elite Capture and Corruption of Security Sectors

Friday, February 17, 2023

By: Elite Capture and Corruption of Security Sectors Working Group

The objective of US security sector assistance is to help build effective, accountable, responsive, transparent, and legitimate security sectors in partner nations to address common security risks. Such action ultimately benefits US national interests, as when the United States modernized West Germany’s military during the Cold War; when US security sector support to South Korea helped the United States deter regional threats; and when, in Ukraine, US security sector assistance contributed to success in fending off Russian aggression in 2022. Similarly, the United States helped Georgia turn its traffic police into one of the most trusted institutions in the country, supported Albania as it updated the governance of its security forces, and assisted Colombia in making progress toward ending its long-standing armed conflict. 

Type: Report

Justice, Security & Rule of Law

Is Pakistan Poised to Take on the TTP?

Is Pakistan Poised to Take on the TTP?

Tuesday, February 14, 2023

By: Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Tamanna Salikuddin;  Andrew Watkins

The Pakistani Taliban’s late January attack in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claimed the lives of more than 100 worshipping at a police compound mosque. The bombing was claimed by a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban) initially, but later denied by the TTP’s central leadership. It was the group’s deadliest attack since its 2021 resurgence after the Afghan Taliban took power in Afghanistan. As Pakistan struggles with a major economic crisis, the fallout from the deadly floods of last fall and an ever-turbulent political scene, the TTP’s growing threat presents yet another challenge for the struggling nation.

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Conflict Analysis & PreventionViolent Extremism

The Latest @ USIP: Religious Inclusion in Afghanistan

The Latest @ USIP: Religious Inclusion in Afghanistan

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

By: Charles Ramsey

The Taliban often use religious arguments to justify their claim to authority. But the Taliban are just one aspect of Afghanistan, and the caretaker government has failed to justify many of its more draconian policies — especially those against women and girls. Charles Ramsey, a resident scholar at Baylor University's Institute for the Studies of Religion and a senior fellow at the Religious Freedom Institute, discusses the role that other religious actors in Afghanistan can play in shaping the country’s future and how positively engaging with these religious leaders can contribute to building peace.

Type: Blog

Peace ProcessesReligion

Wrestling with a Humanitarian Dilemma in Afghanistan

Wrestling with a Humanitarian Dilemma in Afghanistan

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

By: William Byrd, Ph.D.

Recent decrees by the Taliban barring Afghan women from attending university or working in NGOs are severely damaging the country both socially and economically, especially coming atop a ban on girls’ secondary education last year. The marginalization of half the population also highlights the “humanitarian dilemma” that aid donors and international agencies face: Afghanistan is highly dependent on humanitarian assistance, not only for saving lives and easing deprivation but also to stabilize its economy. The quandary for international donors is what to do when alleviating suffering benefits the Afghan economy and thereby the Taliban regime, even when that regime is harming its own people?

Type: Analysis and Commentary

Economics

View All Publications