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NEWS

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SUBJECT Election in Afghanistan: better late than never
DATE 2018-02-07
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Afghanistan’s parliamentary and local council elections scheduled for July this year may have to be delayed for another few months, an election commissioner announced yesterday.

 

 

The parliamentary election — originally scheduled for the summer of 2015 — are seen as test run for the presidential race in 2019 and also test of the progress made by Afghanistan’s Western-backed government towards establishing durable democratic institutions.

 

 

The issues implicated in upcoming council elections underscore the fragility of the political culture that is undergoing development in Afghanistan since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.

 

 

The international community has placed a strong emphasis on the need for sound elections this year — following a contentious presidential race back in 2014.

 

 

The left is the Darul Aman Palace after the Taliban bombing. The right is the new Parliament building completed in 2015. (Photo: Twitter)

 

 

Referring to organizational issues, Badghisi said the appointment of a new election commissioner was taking up a lot of time, also citing problems with budget and security.

 

 

The country has facilitated two successful parliamentary elections since abolishing Taliban rule: the first in 2005 and the second in 2010.

 

 

The five-year term of the legislature was supposed to expire in 2015, but elections were delayed due to security concerns and disputes revolving around voter fraud.

 

 

A couple of years back, officials from international bodies including the UN projected that, even under the most favorable conditions, the earliest the election could be held was October 2018.

 

 

The previous presidential race put forward no clear winner, which led to a US-brokered deal with the Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah forced into an awkward coalition that has struggled to win popular support.

 

 

If not ready by autumn this year, the country’s mountainous geography and lack of security will make it difficult to register voters and install voting booths.

 

 

Likewise, the government may encounter severe delays over the winter, possibly pushing the elections as far back as 2019.

 

 

By MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr)