Afghanistan - News Archive

AFGHANISTAN: Avoid using schools in elections, say agencies

Posted: 06/21/2010
KABUL, 17 June 2010 (IRIN) - Putting a polling station in a school would be run-of-the-mill in most countries, but in Afghanistan it can be an invitation to an attack by Taliban insurgents, opposed to the government and western-style democracy.

Read full story. Source: United Nations - OCHA IRIN

Afghanistan Wants Parliament Elections In May

Posted: 12/29/2009
Afghan officials on Tuesday announced their intention to hold Parliamentary elections in May 2010, according to an announcement by the country's Independent Election Commission. Donor countries and international organizations have expressed reservations and even objected, urging the country to compile a voter registry and increase the independence of its election authority. Those who are circumspect about the vote want stronger institutional guarantees against the type of fraud that marred Presidential elections last August. Officials said they would finance the election with Afghan resources alone if the international community refused to provide assistance.

Source: ElectionGuide

In Advance Of November Runoff, Afghanistan Dismisses Election Staffers

Posted: 10/21/2009
Election officials have dismissed more than half of constituency-level election administrators in order to prevent a repeat in November 7's runoff of the massive fraud occurring during August 20's first-round Presidential vote. Incumbent President Hamid KARZAI agreed to the runoff election against challenger Abdullah ABDULLAH shortly before. Sample-based audits this month by the United Nations-backed Electoral Complaints Commission officially reduced KARZAI'S 54 percent majority to 49.67 percent of votes. Several analysts believe that parties' consent to the runoff depended on suggestions that the United States otherwise would reduce its military presence in the country.

Source: ElectionGuide

Runoff Election Due In Afghanistan

Posted: 10/15/2009
Afghan President Hamid KARZAI faces a runoff election after a recount completed last weekend erased his first-round majority of votes. KARZAI emerged from the August 20 Presidential election with more than 54 percent support. He now has 47 points. While the Afghan constitution mandates a runoff within two weeks of the first round's certification, some analysts believe this is not enough time to organize the next round. Others nonetheless argue the Independent Election Commission needs to move quickly, lest harsh winter conditions impede conduct of the election. According to one official, ballots listing KARZAI and first-round runner-up Abdullah ABDULLAH are en route to Kabul from London. Other supplies, including indelible ink used to stain voters' fingers so that they may be stopped from voting more than once, are already in-country. Extensive fraud marred the August 20 round of voting. Arguing it would damage the legitimacy of the Electoral Complaints Commission, the United Nations-backed recount body, KARZAI nonetheless refused the resignation this week of an Afghan member who charged the donor community was too controlling.

Source: ElectionGuide

Early Provincial Results, UN Official Dismissed In Afghanistan

Posted: 09/26/2009
Afghanistan's Independent Electoral Commission last Saturday announced preliminary results in 30 of 34 provincial elections held alongside the first-round Presidential vote on August 20. Of 420 total seats, men won 251 and women 106, one seat more than the quarter reserved to them. Turnout was nearly 38 percent, a point higher than that in the Presidential election, and at least four candidates died while campaigning. More than 3,000 candidates ran. United Nations officials meanwhile have dismissed a senior official following his call for a recount of all votes cast in the re-election of President Hamid KARZAI. Following evidence of widespread fraud, the UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission has examined about one quarter of ballots. Many observers believe the recount will force incumbent President Hamid KARZAI into a second-round runoff against challenger Abdullah ABDULLAH.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghan Opposition Candidate Wants Full Recount

Posted: 09/24/2009
Opposition candidate and former cabinet minister Abdullah ABDULLAH has told journalists he would prefer a full recount to the sample authorized this week by Afghanistan's UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission. Evidence of widespread fraud marred the country's first-round elections on August 20. In some polling stations, more than 95 percent of ballots favored incumbent President Hamid KARZAI. Officials next week will examine samples of ballots from any station where there were more than 600 votes or where there were more than 100 votes, 95 percent of which went to one candidate. For most analysts, there is a strong chance the recount could deny KARZAI his majority of votes, forcing him into a second round election.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghan Election Complaint Body Orders Recount

Posted: 09/16/2009
Backed by the United Nations, Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has ordered recounts in 10 percent of polling places following claims of widespread fraud during the August 20 Presidential election. While incumbent President Hamid KARZAI leads with more than 54 points, many Western observers believe the invalidation of all fraudulent votes would force him into a runoff against leading challenger Abdullah ABDULLAH. The recount will cover at least 15 percent of all ballots cast in the election. According to European Union election observers, about one third of the ballots supporting KARZAI are suspect. The recount order applies to any polling place where there were more than 600 votes or in which more than 100 votes were cast, 95 percent of which went to one candidate.

Source: ElectionGuide

Evidence Of Fraud Mounts In Afghanistan

Posted: 09/10/2009
Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission has invalidated all ballots from several dozen polling stations following evidence of fraud in August 20's first-round Presidential election. According to Afghan and donor countries' officials, about 15 percent of polling stations never opened on Election Day, yet they reported election returns overwhelmingly favoring incumbent President Hamid KARZAI. According to one preliminary estimate, only 25,000 people voted in KARZAI'S home province of Kandahar, while that jurisdiction reports a turnout of nearly 350,000. According to KARZAI'S campaign manager, several candidates had committed fraud. With more than 70 percent of votes tabulated, KARZAI leads with 49 percent against challenger Abdullah ABDULLAH'S 32 percent. KARZAI needs an absolute majority to avoid a runoff.

Source: ElectionGuide

IEC Delays Release Of Results

Posted: 08/27/2009
Election officials on Thursday announced they would not release further results from August 20’s Presidential election until Saturday. While the Independent Election Commission has not supplied a reason, problems with software are delaying vote-counting. According to one international election observer, a shortage of clerks and the size of the ballot are further driving delays. Based on results from 17 percent of polling stations, incumbent President Hamid KARZAI leads main challenger and former Foreign Minister Abdullah ABDULLAH with 43 to 34 percent of votes. Several candidates have lodged complaints about election processes with the Election Complaints Commission, and ABDULLAH’S campaign last Sunday filed more than 100 claims, calling the vote "widely rigged."

Source: ElectionGuide

Vote Count Underway In Afghanistan

Posted: 08/20/2009
Vote counting and tabulation is underway following the end of voting in Afghanistan's first-round Presidential elections. According to initial reports, turnout was generally low, and especially so in the south, where Taliban members had erected roadblocks and threatened voters. There have been several reports of violence and fraud, with one scheme to sell voter identification cards disrupted earlier this week. There ultimately were 34 candidates. According to most reports, former Foreign Minister Abdullah ABDULLAH has emerged as incumbent President Hamid KARZAI'S main challenger.

Source: ElectionGuide

Karzai can't avoid run-off vote, poll suggests

Posted: 08/12/2009
Afghan President Hamid Karzai doesn't have enough support to avoid a run-off vote in the upcoming presidential election, a new U.S. government-funded poll suggests.

Read full story. Source: CBC | World News

In Afghanistan, A Two-round Election Is Likely

Posted: 08/12/2009
President Hamid KARZAI cannot win re-election in the first round of Afghanistan’s Presidential election on August 20, according to a poll taken last month among more than 3,500 voting-age Afghans. KARZAI led with 36 points, followed by challenger and former Foreign Minister Abdullah ABDULLAH. Another leading challenger, Ashraf GHANI, says KARZAI offered him a position in Cabinet in return for withdrawing from the race. GHANI, a former Finance Minister and World Bank official, is the race’s third runner-up with single-digit support. Concluding several such agreements could give KARZAI more than 50 percent on August 20, preventing a runoff election later.

Source: ElectionGuide

2 women in Afghanistan president race

Posted: 08/06/2009
Shahla Atta, 42, is one of two women among more than 30 candidates vying for the presidency, an uphill and even dangerous undertaking.

Read full story. Source: Times of India

Afghan Presidential Vote Portends Violence, Close Race

Posted: 08/05/2009
Afghanistan’s Presidential contest has become more competitive amidst threats of violence for the August 20 vote. While most polls ultimately favor incumbent President Hamid KARZAI, British Ambassador Mark SEDWILL this week joined a growing number of observers who believe no candidate may win 50 percent in the first round. Taliban militants meanwhile have called for a boycott and promised to disrupt the vote. According to the International Crisis Group’s Samina AHMED, violence and irregularities are most likely in Afghanistan’s southern provinces, as insurgents have been able to control most land there.

Source: ElectionGuide

Rockets strike Kabul in rare pre-election attack

Posted: 08/04/2009
KABUL (AP) -- A string of rockets slammed into Kabul at daybreak Tuesday in the first major attack on the relatively calm Afghan capital in the run-up to this month's presidential election, police and residents said

Read full story. Source: AP Top International News

Taliban says it will disrupt Afghan poll

Posted: 07/30/2009
KABUL (AP) -- The Taliban urged Afghans on Thursday to stay away from the Aug. 20 elections, threatening to block the roads to polling stations and dismissing the balloting as an "American process."...

Read full story. Source: AP Top International News

Afghanistan and Taliban Reach Election Truce in District

Posted: 07/28/2009
The Afghan government said it has arranged a truce with a group of Taliban in a northern district in order to allow elections to go ahead on Aug. 20.

Read full story. Source: NYT > International

Truce With Taliban in Afghan District

Posted: 07/27/2009
The Afghan government said it has arranged a truce with a group of Taliban in a northern district in order to allow elections to go ahead on Aug. 20.

Read full story. Source: NYT > International

Afghan Presidential Debate Takes Place Without Karzai

Posted: 07/24/2009
Afghans tuned in to the first televised debate of the presidential campaign on the evening of July 23, but while they had the opportunity to watch two top contenders face off, President Hamid Karzai was noticeably absent.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

UN Envoy Kai Eide On Afghanistan's Critical Election

Posted: 07/13/2009
It is critical to ensure a level playing field that can provide the basis for a credible and inclusive election process and a result acceptable to the Afghan people. Nobody's interests can be served by an election result that is disputed and harms the legitimacy of a future government.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Afghan Election Environment Improving, But Obstacles Remain, Panel Says

Posted: 07/04/2009
Experts on Afghanistan came together this week at the Asia Society to discuss possible outcomes for the country's presidential election, which is scheduled for August 20. The election is viewed as a critical test of Afghanistan's fledgling democracy. Will the vote represent another step toward a stable, democratic, and peaceful Afghanistan, or a return to armed conflict over political succession? The credibility of the election process will determine how this scenario unfolds.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Afghan Leader Outmaneuvers Election Rivals

Posted: 06/25/2009
President Hamid Karzai is at once deeply unpopular and likely to be re-elected, casting a pall over the campaign.

Read full story. Source: NYT > Asia Pacific

Afghan President Accepts Rivals' Debate Challenge

Posted: 06/24/2009
Incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai has agreed to take part in a public debate with his key rivals as part of presidential campaigning ahead of the August 20 poll, a spokesman for his election campaign has said.

Read full story. Source: Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Afghan election campaign starts

Posted: 06/16/2009
Campaigning begins for Afghanistan's August presidential election which pits Hamid Karzai against 40 challengers. Oyunlar Oyna indir film izle finanzien artikleilahi,ilahiler sagopa kajmerdirek izlelidapornodiyet çeÅŸitleriyemek tarifleri lida diyet zayıflama r10seoogle

Read full story. Source: BBC News | World | UK Edition

Afghan President Faces Numerous Challengers

Posted: 06/13/2009
Forty-one candidates have registered to contest Afghanistan’s August 20 Presidential elections. According to the President of the Afghan Electoral Commission, there were 44 candidates initially, but one dropped out, and two failed to qualify. There were 18 candidates in the 2004 Presidential race, in which incumbent President Hamid KARZAI won more than 55 percent in the first round. According to a poll by the International Republican Institute, KARZAI has about 41 percent of support, and all major challengers are in the single digits. If no candidate wins a majority of votes, the top two will face off in a second round of voting. Oyunlar Oyna indir film izle finanzien artikleilahi,ilahiler sagopa kajmerdirek izlelidapornodiyet çeÅŸitleriyemek tarifleri lida diyet zayıflama r10seoogle

Source: ElectionGuide

Presidential Candidates Register In Afghanistan

Posted: 05/07/2009
Candidate registration has begun in advance of Afghanistan’s August 20 presidential election. Commentators earlier this week claimed the opposition was in disarray, pointing to the lack of registered candidates and an opposition failing to coordinate on a single challenger. Since then, a handful of prominent Afghan politicians have registered, including Attorney General Abdul Jabbar SABIT and former Foreign Minister Abdullah ABDULLAH. According to SABIT, some provincial governors have begun campaigning on incumbent President Hamid KARZAI’s behalf.

Source: ElectionGuide

Allies Ponder How to Plan Elections in Afghanistan

Posted: 04/12/2009
Nearly half the country is a danger zone, raising a difficult question: How can it hold presidential elections in less than five months?

Read full story. Source: NYT > Asia Pacific

Court Favors Karzai Term Until Election

Posted: 03/30/2009
The opinion, which is not binding, is the latest step in a constitutional wrangle between President Hamid Karzai and his political rivals.

Read full story. Source: NYT > Middle East

KARZAI Calls for Early Elections, Sparks Power Struggle in Afghanistan

Posted: 03/05/2009
Afghan President Hamid KARZAI announced on Sunday that the upcoming presidential elections will be held on April 28, considerably earlier than August 20, the date announced a month ago by the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). KARZAI's announcement now puts him at odds with the IEC, opposition parties, and even Washington, all of which had previously endorsed the August 20 election date. According to Afghanistan's constitution, KARZAI's presidential term ends this year on May 21, but a lack of trained electoral officials and the difficulty of distributing ballots and other materials across Afghanistan's rugged, mountainous territory via the country's limited infrastructure during the winter months may hamper the government's ability to have a new president elected before that date.� As a result KARZAI, parliament, and the IEC came to an informal agreement last fall to hold the presidential election in early autumn 2009, in order to give the government more time to prepare for the poll. However, no agreement was made regarding who should govern in the interim between the end of KARZAI's term and the election, and opposition parties argued that allowing KARZAI to remain in the presidency would violate the constitution and called on the President to step down after May 21. KARZAI's decision to advance the election date gives him a significant advantage over his opposition. Given the short campaign season, challengers will have little time to organize while KARZAI will enjoy the power of incumbency in his reelection campaign. But it is still unclear whether the earlier election date will hold. Afghanistan's electoral law requires the IEC to announce elections at least 140 days in advance of polling, far more days than it will have if the election is to be held on April 28.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghan officials delay presidential election

Posted: 01/29/2009
The decision, which appeared to contravene Afghanistan's Constitution, raised doubts about the legitimacy of what could be President Hamid Karzai's final months in office. Oyunlar Oyna indir film izle finanzien artikleilahi,ilahiler sagopa kajmerdirek izlelidapornodiyet çeÅŸitleriyemek tarifleri lida diyet zayıflama r10seoogle

Read full story. Source: Africa & Middle East - International Herald Tribune

Afghan Presidential Election Delayed

Posted: 01/29/2009
Afghanistan's election commission announced Thursday that it would delay this year's presidential election, from May to August 20, due to logistical and security difficulties. Afghanistan's constitution had required the election to be held in May, at the expiration of President Hamid KARZAI’s five-year term. The commission indicated that a lack of trained staff was slowing election preparations, made more complicated by the difficulty of distributing ballots and other materials across Afghanistan’s rugged, mountainous territory via the country's limited infrastructure during the winter months. Security is also a concern as Taliban forces have regrouped and militant attacks have increased, mostly in Eastern and Southern Afghanistan, in recent years. International security forces have pledged to deploy additional troops to pacify the country before the August poll. However, analysts worry that the delay may result in a power vacuum and political instability during the interim between the end of President KARZAI’s term and the election three months later.� Oyunlar Oyna indir film izle finanzien artikleilahi,ilahiler sagopa kajmerdirek izlelidapornodiyet çeÅŸitleriyemek tarifleri lida diyet zayıflama r10seoogle

Source: ElectionGuide

Karzai says he will run for president again

Posted: 08/19/2008
Afghan President Hamid Karzai announced in an interview Tuesday he will seek re-election next year, saying he has yet to finish the job he began four years ago.

Read full story. Source: Europe - International Herald Tribune

Aghanistan Postpones Parliamentary Elections

Posted: 02/28/2005
The Afghan government has announced a third delay in scheduling the first parliamentary elections since the Taliban fell from power.? Elections were scheduled for May 21, 2005, but have been postponed again because the government did not announce the election 90 days prior to the actual election date as the law requires.? Previous postponements had been made in part because key preparations had not been completed, and currently important decisions about voting systems, voter registration, and electoral boundaries still need to be made.? In addition, the role political parties will play is still not clear.?

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghanistan Announces Preliminary Results for Presidential Election

Posted: 10/18/2004
While votes are still being counted, current figures (based on 13% of the votes counted) show that incumbent President Hamid KARZAI has secured 62.6% of the votes while opposition candidates Mohammad Yunos QANUNI secured 17.7% and Abdul Rashid DOSTUM secured 9.3%.  According to election officials, ballot boxes from 29 of the 34 provinces have been collected; though the ballots from the 850,000 registered refugee voters have not yet been accounted.  Official results will be released by end of October.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghanistan Creates Independent Electoral Commission

Posted: 10/12/2004
After holding its first presidential elections on October 9, election officials agreed to create an independent commission to investigate allegations of electoral fraud. The decision came in response to allegations by opposition candidates that the indelible ink used in some polling stations to mark voters’ thumbs could be easily removed.  Results of the election may not be known till the end of October.

Source: ElectionGuide

Voter Registration in Afghanistan Continues to Rise, Says UN

Posted: 08/03/2004
According to a UN report, voter registration in Afghanistan continues to rise. Based on figures compiled on July 29, approximately 8,659,772 of the country’s 9.8 million eligible citizens were listed on the official electoral rolls.  Despite these heartening figures, election officials are concerned that issues such as security might discourage others from registering. Afghanistan is required to complete its electoral rolls by August 15 in anticipation of its presidential elections on October 9.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghanistan Issues a Series of New Electoral Laws

Posted: 06/01/2004
On May 30, the Afghan government issued a series of new electoral laws.  The laws include provisions  to guarantee a single vote to citizens over the age of 18, the requirement that each presidential candidate must submit names of two vice presidents, and that the lower house must reserve a certain amount of seats for female representatives.  The new laws will be enforced in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections slated for September.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghanistan's Chairman Announces the Creation of a Joint Commission

Posted: 07/29/2003
Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid KARZAI announced the creation of the Joint Electoral Coordination Office between the United Nations and Afghanistan. According to the government, the joint commission would consist of 10 members, five of whom will be selected by the Afghan government and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) each. The two primary duties of the commission would be to supervise and coordinate transparent elections within Afghanistan, notably in the country’s parliamentary polls slated for October 2004.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghan Political Party Announces Selected Candidate to Compete in Presidential Elections

Posted: 06/25/2003
On June 21, a political party announced that it has selected a candidate to compete in the country’s first presidential elections.? Syed Ishay GHALANI, leader of the National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan, was nominated as his party’s presidential candidate for the June 2004 elections. This is the first official announcement made by a political party in regards to the country’s scheduled elections.? Under the Bonn agreement in 2001, Afghanistan is required to hold elections eight months after the country officially adopts a constitution later this year.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghanistan Postpones the Meeting of the Grand Council

Posted: 06/10/2002
The six-day meeting of the Loya Jirga (Grand Council) has been postponed due to logistical delays. The Loya Jirga is tasked with appointing a transitional national government that will govern Afghanistan till regular elections are held. The Loya Jirga consists of 1,500 delegates: one-third are reserved for specific interest groups, 160 seats for women, 100 seats designated for Afghan refugees, 53 seats for the interim government, 25 representatives for nomads, and six religious scholars.

Source: ElectionGuide

Afghan Government Announces Creation of Commission

Posted: 01/25/2002
The government announced the creation of a 21-person Loya Jirga commission that will convene in the spring. The Loya Jirga is a traditional Afghan tribal council, which will define the country's political structure.

Source: ElectionGuide

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