14:12
10.6.2014
"It is not important whether Dr. Abdullah or Ashraf Ghani wins. What I want is peace and development in the country."
-- unidentified Afghan trader speaking to Kabul-based Ariana TV on June 8
-- unidentified Afghan trader speaking to Kabul-based Ariana TV on June 8
14:05
10.6.2014
Babrak Noorzad, in this opinion piece for Khama Press, notes the lack of women participating in the electoral campaign.
Noorzad writes that "lack of women's participation in the election campaigns results in uniformed voting, likely based on the wishes of the men in the house."
The assessment that the issue is "a common phenomenon across the world" and that in the United States "if the husband is a Republican the wife will most likely vote Republican and the Democrats also follow suit" is questionable.
But Noorzad gives a general rundown of some the factors that could prevent women from going to the polls, such as societal and cultural sensitivities, violence, and the electoral commission's failure to address the problem quickly enough.
Noorzad writes that "lack of women's participation in the election campaigns results in uniformed voting, likely based on the wishes of the men in the house."
The assessment that the issue is "a common phenomenon across the world" and that in the United States "if the husband is a Republican the wife will most likely vote Republican and the Democrats also follow suit" is questionable.
But Noorzad gives a general rundown of some the factors that could prevent women from going to the polls, such as societal and cultural sensitivities, violence, and the electoral commission's failure to address the problem quickly enough.
13:37
10.6.2014
13:35
10.6.2014
13:34
10.6.2014
Describing the runoff vote as "an unprecedented event for Afghanistan's democracy," the United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan has stressed the importance of continuing to improve electoral process and reassuring the Afghan people that their votes will count.
"Elections are both a technical and a political exercise," Jan Kubis, special representative of the secretary-general for Afghanistan, said in a June 10 press release. "The electoral institutions must learn and implement lessons from the first round to reassure all those who want to vote that they will be able to do so, as well as to improve transparency and communication in the management of the results and complaints. But technical improvements alone will not result in a better election without the political will of candidates to respect the process and its results and to disavow fraud by their supporters, as well as for government officials to remain impartial."
The entire message can be found here.
"Elections are both a technical and a political exercise," Jan Kubis, special representative of the secretary-general for Afghanistan, said in a June 10 press release. "The electoral institutions must learn and implement lessons from the first round to reassure all those who want to vote that they will be able to do so, as well as to improve transparency and communication in the management of the results and complaints. But technical improvements alone will not result in a better election without the political will of candidates to respect the process and its results and to disavow fraud by their supporters, as well as for government officials to remain impartial."
The entire message can be found here.
13:17
10.6.2014
13:16
10.6.2014
13:12
10.6.2014
"The Reform and Partnership [eds. Abdullah's campaign team] team will try to eliminate poverty"
12:34
10.6.2014
Afghanistan Analysts Network decribes the political landscape ahead of the vote in an article titled "Deals And Insults In Afghanistan's Second Round Campaign."
It provides insight into where loyalties lie among candidates who failed to reach the second round and describes the increasingly nasty tone of campaign.
It provides insight into where loyalties lie among candidates who failed to reach the second round and describes the increasingly nasty tone of campaign.
12:19
10.6.2014