The Afghan Elections
Three weeks after the August 20th national elections, the outcome of the election remains contested. Results posted by Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission show President Hamid Karzai at 54% and his main challenger Dr. Abdullah at 28% with 91.6% of polling stations tallied. But widespread allegations of fraud have marred the results, with over 2000 complaints filed to the Afghan Elections Complaints Commission (ECC). Please join us for a discussion of these issues with experts just arrived from Afghanistan, all of whom have observed the Afghan political process up close for the last few years.
Three weeks after the August 20th national elections, the outcome of the election remains contested. Results posted by Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission show President Hamid Karzai at 54% and his main challenger Dr. Abdullah at 28% with 91.6% of polling stations tallied. But widespread allegations of fraud have marred the result, with over 2000 complaints filed to the Afghan Elections Complaints Commission (ECC), which called for a partial nation-wide recount on September 8 after finding “clear and convincing evidence of fraud” in several provinces.
There are numerous other larger concerns arising from these elections as well. Was turnout – perhaps as low as 30-35% -- sufficient for an electoral mandate? Why did so few people vote – insurgent threats, warlord intimidation, apathy? Were women able to express their voices in this election – as candidates, voters, or in the media? Are elections merely an ethnic census in Afghanistan? What impact will the allegations of fraud have on the overall perception of a government already accused of corruption? Will this process reinforce a culture of impunity? What was the outcome of the Provincial Council elections?
Please join us for a discussion of these issues with experts just arrived from Afghanistan, all of whom have observed the Afghan political process up close for the last few years. John Dempsey, USIP’s Senior Rule of Law Advisor in Kabul, has been working on the rule of law in Afghanistan for the last six years. Palwasha Hassan, an Afghan woman and head of Rights and Democracy in Kabul, is a prominent advocate on human rights and gender issues. Noah Coburn, USIP’s Traditional Justice Specialist in Kabul, is an anthropologist who conducted fieldwork on local political dynamics and coauthor of, “Patronage, Posturing, Duty, Demographics: Why Afghans Voted in 2009” (AREU, 2009).
Speakers
- John Dempsey
Senior Rule of Law Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace Kabul - Palwasha Hassan
Jennings Randolf Afghanistan Fellow, USIP and Afghanistan Country Director, Rights and Democracy - Noah Coburn
Traditional Justice Specialist, U.S. Institute of Peace Kabul - J Alexander Thier, Moderator
Director, Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. Institute of Peace
