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Issue 06/10 01 June 2010

 AFGHANISTANDevelopments in Governance & Participation

01 – 31 May 2010

 Ann-Kristin Otto – Governance & Participation KM(ann-kristin.otto@cimicweb.org) 

(www.cimicweb.org) 

This document is intended to provide an overview of relevant Governance events in Afghanistan from 01- 

31 May 2010. More comprehensive information is available on the Civil-Military Overview (CMO) at www.cimicweb.org.1  Hyperlinks to original source material are highlighted in blue and 

underlined in the embedded text. 

Parliamentary Elections

Candidates for the Wolesi Jirga  Elections. Throughout the month of May, preparationscontinued for upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled to take place on 18 September. The

candidate registration period  ended on 05 May (refer to CFC’s 12 May Afghanistan Review, Governance & Participation section). On 11 May, United Nations Special Representative of theSecretary General (SRSG) Staffan de Mistura signed an agreement with International ElectionCommission (IEC) Chairman Fazel Ahmad Manawi pledging financial support for the elections,according to   Agence France-Presse . The total cost of the elections is expected to be aroundUSD 149 million. On 13 May, the IEC published a final list  of candidates running for officeduring the September poll. According to the IEC press release, 2,673 candidates had submittedtheir names, including 419 women. According to Ariana TV , the names of  226 candidates wereremoved from the list soon after because they did not meet the minimum requirements to runfor office, which includes the provision of 1,000 supporter cards. Earlier this year, a set of regulations for electoral challenges and complaints were also made public by the IEC to provide

a legal framework for addressing the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) (refer to CFC’s 19May Afghanistan Review, Governance & Participation section). According to Pajhwok Afghan News , the ECC had received more than 250 complaints as of 23 May (refer to CFC’s 26 May

 Afghanistan Review, Governance & Participation section).

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Why the Elections Matter? An analysis entitled “Connecting with Kabul”  by Noah Coburn of the   Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU)  investigates the significance of theupcoming parliamentary elections. The study describes the Wolesi Jirga  (Lower House of Parliament) elections as a crucial event with the potential to stimulate political debate at thegrassroots level as well as shape local political networks all over Afghanistan. Based on a seriesof interviews2 with Afghan citizens, Coburn finds that Afghans do not put the same emphasis onthe issue of corruption and voter fraud as the international community seems to. Instead,Coburn finds that most Afghans stress the important role parliamentarians play as members of local political networks. Their election presents one of the few ways Afghans can connect withfunding opportunities in Kabul and shape the political debate in Afghanistan. Rather than solelyemphasising the need for government legitimacy and “clean” elections, the author calls on theinternational community to support the democratic political debates in the country and giverecommendations on how to actively encourage Afghan political discourse.

 Afghans’ Perception of Parliamentarians. Coburn argues that the parliamentary electionsare an important tool in fostering democracy in Afghanistan, not only through the basic notionof Afghans casting their vote, but moreover through the way local politicians can link 

communities to services and political networks available in Kabul. The report finds thatMembers of Parliament (MPs) are generally perceived as having the ability to attract resourcesto the province and work for the voters’ interests during their time in Kabul. While the extent towhich MPs are actually doing this in an effective manner is heavily debated among Afghans,however, Coburn draws an optimistic conclusion in terms of the MPs’ potential to positivelywork for their constituents. MPs and their election are a vital part of the evolving politicalcommunity in Afghanistan and an essential element in connecting provinces and districts to thepolitical centre in Kabul.

Recommendations for the Run-Up to the Polls. The AREU study points to the potential of parliamentary elections in solidifying democratic processes such as campaigning anddemonstrating the power of parties, tribes and ethnic groups at the local level. The electionsare one of the few opportunities to shape and nourish the public debate and encourage

  Afghans to participate in the political future of their country. Coburn concludes the study byintroducing recommendations for both the Afghan government and the international communityto put a strong emphasis on the upcoming elections and create more room and opportunitiesfor public political debate. The study is somewhat pessimistic as to what extent fraud andcorruption can be prevented in the election, but Coburn concludes that monitoring needs tofocus on the local level and a serious effort must be made for long-term electoral reform by theinternational community, the Afghan government and the Independent Election Commission(IEC). The study calls on the international community to be as transparent as possible when itcomes to its involvement in the electoral process, as the perception of many Afghans tends tobe negative and filled with suspicion when it comes to the role of the international community

and its perceived attempts to influence the Afghan government.

2The interviews were conducted with over 100 individuals and discussion groups in seven districts of three Afghan

provinces (Balkh, Kabul and Paktiya).

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Grounding International Efforts in Afghan Realities. These findings go along withanother AREU publication that provides recommendations for the upcoming Kabul conferencescheduled to take place in July 2010, with a focus on the areas of Governance, Justice andDevelopment entitled “Speaking from the Evidence.”  The introductory statement of the paperstresses that in order to achieve long-term stability in Afghanistan, the international communitywill need to increasingly recognise the realities on-the-ground and provide a supportive role toallow Afghans to choose their own destiny. With regards to building democratic institutions andpreparing for the elections, AREU suggests that the donor community needs to demonstrateextra caution when it comes to concepts such as “democracy,” as many Afghans perceive themas Western imports that are not grounded in Afghan realities and do not respect Afghanvalues.3 Therefore, AREU’s Anna Larson calls on the international community to show a lightfootprint when it comes to the elections in Afghanistan. However, they should continue toprovide electoral observers, technical support and ensure security.4 Larson writes that whilemany Afghans are suspicious about the very concept of democracy and how it fits into thesocial fabric of their country, research suggests that there is a considerable amount of anticipation for the upcoming elections tied to expectations that the elections could bring aboutpositive change in the country.

Please visit our CFC Governance & Participation Discussion Board. 

3See AREU Policy Notes, page 4.

4See Policy Note on Governance, pages 9-12.

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