This document discusses election-related challenges in Afghanistan. It notes that Afghanistan has a population of 28 million people, most of whom live rurally, and have low literacy rates. Electorally, there are issues of insecurity, political apathy, lack of trust in the process, and lack of reforms. The Independent Election Commission oversees elections but faces obstacles of insecurity, sustainability, political affiliations of staff, and lack of observers and monitoring in remote areas. Risks include electoral fraud, absence of voter lists, and lack of engagement. Mitigation requires technical improvements, statistical reporting, and community involvement.

1. IEC- Independent Election Commission

2. Afghan Profile
 28 Million People
 85% rural population
 Literacy Rates (M 43% & F 13%)
 Culturally conservative
 Political Environment
 Political apathy
 Lack of confidence/trust in the process
 Lack of political will to reform electoral process
 Security environment worsening/transition

3. EMB Afghanistan
 Independent/Autonomous
 9 Commissioners _ Directly appointed by President of Republic Afghanistan
 Secretariat(HQ and 34 Provinces)
 CEO proposed by Commissioners appointed by President
 Funded largely by donors:
 2003 -> 2015 = 6 election cycles & 4 VR exercises
=~$1 billion direct costs
Govt. contribution $20 million

4.  Insecurity
 Sustainability
 Political afiliation
 Observers
 Monitoring Mechanisms in Remote areas
 Electoral fraud and Violations
• Absence of voter list
• Absence of electoral attributive codes
• Lack of exact statistics
 Wider community engagement
 Stakeholder Engagement Measures
Risks and Challenges in Afghanistan

5. Insecurity…
 Insecurity negatively affects most aspects of the electoral process.
 Armed conflict has continued to escalate each year, and violence levels
reached an all-time high in 2014.
 The security environment poses a range of significant challenges to electoral
integrity in Afghanistan.
 It has been impossible to conduct a national census and delimitation process,
develop a credible voter register, or conduct nationwide voter education
campaigns reaching remote areas.
 Critically, the security environment also affected the ability of domestic observer
organizations to deploy professional observers to a significant number of polling
stations.
 Observation is crucial to deter fraud, to monitor the effectiveness of training and
codes of conduct, and to guard against malpractice.

6. Insecurity...continued…
 On Election Day, despite increased public confidence in the Afghan
security forces, the IEC was again unable to open as many polling centers
as deemed necessary, ensure safe custody of election material or secure
poll workers and polling stations.
 Security assessment not accurate
 Partiality of security assessments
 Security assessment does not reflect reality on the ground
 E-day closures due to security can be subject to more political
interference/manipulation
 Lack of secure environment and committment of security forces affects
recruitment and retention of staff

7. Role of Security Forces
 Professionalism of security forces: security forces
violated codes of conduct during the 2014 election
process and some individuals were dismissed officially
for these violations.

9. Sustainability…
 Making the institution financially sustainable
 The donors are most likely to reduce funds and tighten the use of any
funds they give.
 Electoral cycle approach towards sustainability
 Teachers as Polling Staff
 ANSF will have to use the vast majority of its ground and air assets to
support the process
 IEC Public Outreach Sustainability Strategy

10. Sustainability…continued…
 Sustainability in this case being how to reduce the cost for the next
elections
 Sustainability is also looking at: Cost effectiveness, realistic activities and
future needs and requirements.
 In 2009 Presidential Election cost was $13.6 per voter and in 2014 it was $8
per voter, 2010 parliamentary cost $10 per voter and expected cost for
next elections is $7.6

11. Political afiliation
 Political afiliation of staff :
 Central recruitment system does not allow for PEO screening and
control of DFC;
 PEOs are not envolved in recruitment of polling staff;
 PEOs re-assigned to new provinces do not have local knowledge
necessary to discern afiliation;
 Selection for gender workshops, female staff – received lists are
politically afiliated.

12. Observation
 IEC calls for more observers, deployed to all areas not only
urban and secure;
 More female observers and party agents;
 Better traininig for observers on their tasks and IEC operations
and procedures;
 More committment – agents reported to leave before end of
polling, difficult to have agents presence during audit and
recount

13. Shortage of material (2014)
 Shortage of materials overblown:
 Many contingency materials returned;
 Lack of security arrangements for speedy delivery of contingency materials;
 Candidates transported voters to certain PCs causing over-crowding, impossible
to predict
 Counting affected by security of polling centres/stations on E-day:
 Extension of voting time pushed operations into the dark;
 Security forces were not ready to extend the timing (act upon old order, security
situation);
 ALP interfering with elections

14. Monitoring Mechanisms in Remote
areas
 Introducing the candidate agents and observers from
election related organization for specific PCs/PSs should be
compulsory.
 External and impartial monitoring bodies to be hired

15. Electoral fraud and Violations
 The issued VR cards don’t have any credibility for the transparency of the
election, proper options need to be taken into consideration (issuing new cards
and issuing E-Tazkera).
 Providing the voter list should be mandatory.
 Determination of districts boundaries.
 Interfering of the irresponsible persons in election process should be prevented.
 Punitive measures must be taken on those people were involved in fraud.
 Improvement the coordination and cooperation between IEC and ECC.

16. Fraud mitigation strategy
GENERAL APPROACH:
 Involve placing specific anti-fraud policies which cover all phases of
elections
 In order to achieve increased integrity the IEC intends to implement a
three-fold strategy addressing three levels:
 Technical level improvements
 Error reduction and statistical reporting
 Wider community engagement in the process

17. Technical level…
 Technical anti-fraud measures are built around four principles:
 Use of highest quality materials
 Strict controls on movement and handling of sensitive materials
 Improved elaboration of procedures which discourage fraud and ensure its
detection
 Maximum transparency – in particular scrutiny of observers and agents, as well
as media – to maximize detection of error or malfeasance, and to increase
confidence.

18. • High quality materials
• Ink, UV? Silver nitrate, Polling station Kit, TEB (Transparent)
• Training – increased time and program
• Cascade issue
• Procedural improvements
• Reconciliation removed: speedier–finish before dark
• Results forms:
• Holograms, tamper evident tape on results, carbon copies
• Tracking through pack number
Technical level…continued…

19. Statistical level
 Sharing accurate information
 Improve results communication strategy
 Reduction of error rates in the process

20. Wider community engagement
 Governmental level:
 Civil society - effective monitoring and observation:
 Prevention of crimes and protection of electoral material:
 Public outreach programs

21. Stakeholder Engagement Measures:
 Regulatory framework
 Code of conducts (coc)
 Engage with authorities to pursue criminal violations
 Stakeholder engagement
 Training and accountability of afghan security forces
 Gender focus & create gender consultative group
 Public outreach with efforts targeted at women
 Use fraud and malpractice plan for public outreach/external relations
 Training for political parties and candidates

22. Election Fraud Prevention…
Dealing with perpetrators
 Take punitive measures on IEC staff involved.
 Recruit teachers and dismiss staff involved in
election fraud.
 Assign monitors, link to specific polling and counting
stations from beginning to end of process to ensure
transparency
 Recruit E-Day staff from district and assign them to
other districts.

23. Fraud Prevention Measures
 Replace current multiple cards with e-
Tazkira
 Review electoral system preferably
move to PR system.
 Develop and maintain an accurate
voter register
 Encourage continuous voter
registration
 Develop a database to trace multiple
card holders.
 Security personnel to be at stations
until the end of the process

24. Fraud Prevention: Role of the electorate
 Embark on a civic education drive on impact of
election fraud.
 Disarmament of illegally armed groups and
individuals as they undermine democratic
processes.
 Issue e-Tazkiras - The multiple cards do not help
in preventing fraud so does the inking of the
finger.
 Create and maintain a voter list.
 Elimination of the effects of 40 years of war
through a multi-faceted initiatives including
civic education with human rights partners and
CSOs

25. ……answers needed ….