-- The vote count continues, as does the investigation into hundreds of claims of vote fraud. Final preliminary results are expected on July 2, and final results on July 22.
-- Many media refrained from reporting violence during the vote, but officials said June 15 that more than 270 Taliban attacks were recorded, resulting in the deaths of 50 civilians.
-- In one attack, a roadside bomb exploded beside a minibus that was carrying Afghan election workers home, killing 10 adults and a child.
-- Taliban militants severed the voting fingers of 11 voters in Herat Province.
-- The Independent Electoral Commission initially said that there were signs that voter turnout exceeded 7 million, putting it roughly on par with the first-round vote in April.
-- Officials said that, of those who turned out, 38 percent were women and 62 percent were men.
* NOTE: Times are stated according to local time in Kabul
Mohammad Ali Nabizada, Qutbuddin Helal’s second vice-president running mate in the first round election, announced his support for Abdullah in a press conference in Kabul today.
“If the economic initiatives of Abdullah Abdullah's team are implemented, Afghanistan will be one of the richest countries in Asia. 99 percent of the team announces its endorsement of Dr. Abdullah.”
12:1511.6.2014
Ballot papers
One of the biggest criticisms of the first round election was that there were not enough ballot papers to meet demand. Tens of thousands of Afghans were turned away and left disappointed. At the time, election officials handed each polling station only 600 ballots - a measure against electoral fraud and ballot-box stuffing.
According to reports, there were ballot shortages in as many as 15 of the country's 34 provinces. There were even shortages in Kabul.
Now, it seems the IEC is trying to rectify that by giving polling stations more ballot papers.
12:2411.6.2014
Campaigning Nears End
Campaigning will be permitted until midnight. But as happened in the first round, the candidates sent thousands of campaign texts long after the deadline had passed. That ended with fines for several candidates.
The IEC has warned candidates that any infringement of election rules will see them face hefty fines and other "punishments." The media have also been told to refrain from covering the campaign after midnight.
12:2911.6.2014
The Afghan Electoral Complaints Commission’s spokesman Nadir Mohseni told ToloNews that Abdullah and Ghani would face legal action if they violated election rules.
“Our suggestion to the presidential candidates is to respect the election rules and regulations during the silent period, because we will closely monitor the silent period, and those who violate the silent period will be dealt with swiftly."
13:1111.6.2014
Interesting to look back at the "lessons learned" from women's participation in the 2009 presidential election.
The United Nations Development Fund for Women wrote up a report identifying problems and providing suggested solutions in a report titled "One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?"
The report can be found on the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan's website, on a page specifically dedicated to "Women and the Vote."
It's a long read, but contains some interesting conclusions and suggestions that we will boil down a bit.
Identified areas of concern:
Fraud and other irregularities. The most severe cases of inflated women's voter registrations were seen in areas where they would be least likely to vote, such as Paktia and Khost provinces. Decrease in women’s participation. Just 38 percent of women voted in 2009, compared to 44 percent in the 2004 presidential election. Targeted violence and gendered insecurity. "Cultural expectations dictate that Afghan women remain in the home and out of public spaces ... insecurity is often used as a further argument for reinforcing control over women." Cultural constraints. Noting that women’s literacy rates stood at 21.9 percent, concerns were expressed concern that women experienced difficultly in negotiating the ballot, and often requested help.
Some suggested solutions:
Expand targeted public outreach on “one person, one vote” standards and women’s right to political participation via mass media and through community gatekeepers such as religious figures.
Mandatory standard curriculum instituted by the Ministry of Education for all secondary students and adult literacy classes.
Partnerships with formal and informal networks should be tapped to access women, especially those confined to their homes and/or in remote areas of the country.
13:3011.6.2014
Election Tunes
A song, in Dari, dedicated to Ashraf Ghani. 'Our choice is Ashraf Ghani."
13:3811.6.2014
And Ashraf Ghani is not alone. Songs have also been dedicated to Abdullah Abdullah. This is a recent one from well-known Afghan musician, Waheed Qasimi.
13:4311.6.2014
Election Attire
Abdullah was in Kabul today. During a speech at an endorsement gathering, he sported a karakul hat. The karakul was an important part of outgoing President Hamid Karzai's daily attire.
This might be the first time Abdullah has worn one.
The article quotes election watchdogs, as well as members of the Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani campaign teams, as questioning the effectiveness of the system in place after seeing it in action during the first round vote in April.
The Afghan Independent Electoral Commission "is making excuses, or maybe they have some other intentions," alleges Abdullah campaign member Said Agha Sancharaki. "Otherwise, the commission should be able to find female employees considering the big pool of qualified women available."
Abbas Nawyan, a member of Ghani's campaign, expresses concerns that the absence of women at female polling sites will result in ballot stuffing in which men vote on behalf of women. If a solution cannot be found, Nawyan suggests, "the IEC should close" understaffed voting sites.
IEC spokesman Noor Muhammad Noor admits that efforts to hire female employees in rural areas had been unsuccessful, saying that 9,000 female polling sites had been planned but that "due to some cultural restrictions, females are not ready to work."
Noor estimate that the IEC needed around 35,000 to 40,000 female employees, without giving a current figure relating to the number of female staff is given.
This graphic from the IEC site shows that a greater percentage of female staff is participating in this election, and with greater rural penetration -- but with only about 29,000 women staffers as of 2013.
Afghanistan -- Graphic from the Afghan Independent Electoral Commission
14:3611.6.2014
NATO's supreme allied commander for Europe is "extremely confident" that the next Afghan president -- be it Abdullah Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani -- will sign a bilateral security agreement with the United States shortly after taking office.
“Both of the leading candidates have said they will sign it within a week, which is good news,” Air Force General Philip Breedlove told the American Forces Press Service in France last week. "Now we have, what I think will be, a willing partner in the next Afghan president -- whichever one it is."
The signing of the bilateral security agreement, which would allow U.S. forces to remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014, has been a major point of contention between Washington and outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
