Publications
Articles, publications, books, tools and multimedia features from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest news, analysis, research findings, practitioner guides and reports, all related to the conflict zones and issues that are at the center of the Institute’s work to prevent and reduce violent conflict.
Breaking, Not Bending: Afghan Elections Require Institutional Reform
Afghanistan’s presidential election is scheduled to take place on September 28. In planning the election, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) must overcome a number of practical challenges to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 2018 parliamentary elections—elections that undermined the legitimacy of the state and reduced Afghans’ confidence in democracy as a means for selecting their leaders. Based on a careful analysis of the IEC’s performance during the 2018 elections, this report offers recommendations for creating more resilient electoral institutions in Afghanistan and other postconflict countries.
Afghan Elections: Will the Voter Registry Be Ready for 2018?
Fixing Afghanistan’s voter registry—something all political actors engaged with the country agree is broken—has been a key priority since the seriously flawed election of 2014. With parliamentary balloting scheduled for July, revamping the system of registering voters is becoming increasingly urgent, as recognized by...
Reducing Voter Fraud in Afghanistan
Since Afghanistan’s first presidential election in 2004, massive election fraud and malpractices have been the rule. Confidence in the electoral process among the population is correspondingly low. As this Peace Brief explains, a new biometric voter registration system has...