The good, the bad and the ugly in Afghanistan's Parliament polls
Afghanistan’s election authorities concluded that 3.6 million out of 34 million people in the country voted in a recent Parliamentary round.
The results are good, bad and ugly.
The election of 2018 opened a maverick chapter in the democracy of Afghanistan.
The good news is that there were a little over 800 candidates from Kabul, including 108 female candidates, contesting nine seats. I was one of the 108 candidates.
Another piece of good news was the strong engagement from the international community, with ambassadors visiting polling sites and the United Nations and other major organisations monitoring the elections. Another positive aspect was that, despite multiple attacks on the days of voting, voters showed immense courage, patience and resilience.
The bad news is that I was robbed of my ability to serve the public, not due to a lack of votes, but because of the inauthenticity of the election. Even from a distance, it was obvious that the votes were not counted in a transparent way. I will not declare this election a sham as that would dishonor myself, my team and my voters, all of whom faced life-threatening situations in the campaign and election days, but I will label it as unfair.
There were numerous security incidents that killed several candidates, including my brother. I also struggled with bribery demands from within the Independent Election Commission (IEC). Financial relationships between the contending candidates and election officials will haunt the democracy of this nation.
The unquestionably ugly side of this election was that the people of Afghanistan were exhausted by the disorganisation and technical failures. This vote was the first to introduce biometrics, but the machines had no capability of getting online – they produced only print-outs – and the time it took each voter to register was estimated around 20 to 30 minutes on average.
The list of registered voters was missing and due to this, the election was extended for another day.
This is when the gates for fraudulent activities opened.
Why is this so ugly? The constellation of alliances that line up around this behavior will only increase the current problems.
Aside from the national public feeling exhausted by the incapability of the election commission, the international community showed no further interest in transparency. There were public calls for the commissioners to be removed, but what difference would it make if they were removed after the announcement with their bank accounts secured, to live in serenity?
Another major aspect one should reflect on is the presidential decree during President Hamid Karzai’s era in which all commissioners would retain their status if removed, which means they would have security protection, armored vehicles and VIP status.
The ugly thus on a personal level.
This election was at a great cost to the people of Afghanistan.
The successful conclusion of the election, despite such major democratic failures, was a result of the stoicism of the people of Afghanistan and their collective decision to vote.
As we approach the presidential election of 2019, I wonder if the government and election commission have learned any lessons from the pyrrhic parliament victory. I want to be clear about three things: when people go out to vote, don’t manipulate them for personal financial incentives or political gain.
Second, if the freedom and right to vote is tampered with, then you have destroyed the democratic hopes of the Afghan people.
Finally, assess the conditions for holding elections, test the equipment, monitor sites and try not to shatter the hopes of the Afghan people.
No one should be scared of serving their people.
Although I was not announced in the preliminary list, when opportunities present themselves, I still encourage the women of Afghanistan to participate. Run for a political party, committee, anything – but make sure the race is clean and transparent.
Run because we will have pressing questions and don’t want to be victims of repression.