NDI works in partnership Afghanistan's 34 provincial councils to enhance their ability to represent their constituents and support the local development planning process. The Institute also facilitates an internship program, in coordination with provincial universities, to provide research and administrative assistance to councilors. NDI programs supported the 2009 presidential and provincial council elections and will support the 2010 parliamentary polls. These efforts focused on assisting political parties, candidates and domestic election monitoring groups to participate effectively in the electoral process.
The Institute’s main office is in Kabul, with regional offices in Kunduz, Jalalabad, Mazar-i-Sharif, Bamiyan, Herat, and Gardez. NDI first established an office in Afghanistan in March 2002, facilitating programs to support the development of emerging political parties and civic groups as effective and viable participants in Afghanistan’s political and electoral processes.
Elections
NDI conducted a number of programs to support the 2009 presidential and provincial council elections. These efforts focused on long- and short-term election observation and assisting political parties, candidates and domestic election monitoring groups to participate effectively in the electoral process.
International Election Observation
For the August 20 polls, NDI conducted an international election observation mission that mobilized more than 100 international and Afghan observers, covering all of the country's regions and the capital, to observe every aspect of the election process, including the campaign, balloting on election day and the post-election period. The group came from 11 countries on six continents and included current and former government officials, political party and election officials, legislative staff, representatives of democracy and human rights organizations, and academics. The delegation issued a preliminary statement on August 22 that included 17 recommendations for improving the election process in future years.
- Read the full preliminary statement of the Institute’s election observation mission to Afghanistan for the Aug. 20, 2009, vote (English | Dari | Pashto)»
- Read about NDI's observation mission to Afghanistan for the Aug. 20, 2009, vote»
In the days following the election, NDI continued to monitor the process, including an investigation by the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) into allegations of fraud. In a September 9 statement, the Institute expressed deep concern over the high levels of fraud complaints and said the credibility of the elections depended on a thorough investigation.
The Institute also commented on the unfolding events in congressional testimony and policy forums.
- In congressional testimony, NDI stresses election process in Afghanistan (Oct. 1, 2009)»
- Read director of Asia programs Peter Manikas' testimony to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs(Oct. 1, 2009)»
- Watch a CSIS-sponsored panel of NDI mission observers as they recount their impressions of the Aug. 20, 2009, Afghan election»
In late October, the work of the ECC revealed that no candidate had achieved 50 percent of the presidential vote, which was a requirement for victory, leading the Independent Election Commission (IEC) to schedule a runoff poll for November 7. NDI noted there was little time to make improvements in the electoral process before the vote, but it offered a number of recommendations on steps that could be taken quickly to avoid the problems of the August 20 balloting.
In anticipation of the November 7 vote, the Institute fielded a team of analysts in Kabul to follow developments in the runoff and provide an independent assessment of the process. The analytical mission looked into such key issues as electoral administration, security of the elections and women's participation as well as regional developments. The runoff was cancelled when one of the two candidates, Abdullah Abdullah, declined to participate, but NDI's team issued several reports based on its analysis of election data.
- Read NDI's Afghanistan Elections Updates for information and analysis on the presidential runoff election (Issue 1 | Issue 2 | Issue 3)»
In cancelling the runoff, the IEC declared the remaining candidate, Hamid Karzai, the winner. NDI noted, however, that the decision left unaddressed the problems of fraud surrounding the August 20 balloting. In a November 3 statement, NDI called for a rigorous and impartial inquiry into the failures of the election process to be conducted by high-level international and Afghan experts.
In December, NDI launched an innovative online mapping tool for analyzing election results data from Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential election using demographic, ethnographic, topographic and security information. The tool also identifies areas that had significant electoral irregularities. The information can be found at www.afghanistanelectiondata.org.
Tim Berners-Lee, the British engineer, computer scientist and MIT professor who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web, singled out for praise the Afghanistan Elections Data site in a talk at the Technology Education Design (TED) conference in Long Beach, Calif. Read more»
In June 2010, the Institute published its final report on the 2009 election, analyzing the election data and making recommendations for future elections.
Strengthening Political Party and Candidate Participation
NDI carried out programs to strengthen the capacity of Afghan political parties and candidates to develop campaigns that addressed voters' concerns. Building on NDI's relationships with Afghanistan's political parties established since 2002, the Institute supported training to address organizational capacity, strategic planning and outreach to constituents. The Institute worked with trainers of political parties in the development of key skills, including political campaign management and direct voter contact. In addition, NDI offered technical guidance to smaller political parties on approaches to strengthen their internal structures, help them build coalitions and better position themselves to compete.
Increasing Women's Political Participation
NDI also conducted a program to promote the political participation of Afghan women by enhancing the capacity of female candidates to compete in the 2009 provincial council elections and serve their constituents once elected. The Institute organized Women in Politics Campaign Schools for women PC candidates, with a one-week curriculum specifically adapted to the needs of women in all regions of Afghanistan. More than 70 percent of women candidates across the country participated in these activities.
NDI also plans to hold orientation workshops for all women elected to the provincial councils. The workshops would be designed to help women councilors overcome the unique challenges they face, such as engaging effectively with male-dominated civic and government entities, and identifying issues of interest to vulnerable constituencies, including women.
Supporting Candidate Polling Agents
For the 2009 elections, the Institute also carried out a program to strengthen the capacity of candidate polling agents to observe and report on election day activities. Through a pool of 80 Afghan master trainers, NDI supported workshops across Afghanistan to help candidates and agents learn about election processes and procedures, effective election administration, and the rights and obligations of polling agents. More than 31,000 candidate agents were trained and 150,000 polling agent manuals, in Dari and Pashto, were printed and distributed to IEC provincial offices.
Support for Domestic Election Monitoring
In coordination with the UNDP, NDI provided technical support to the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), a civil society group the Institute has assisted since its inception in 2002. FEFA deployed 7,000 monitors for the August 2009 polls and reported on the conduct of election day activities.
2004-2005 Election Cycle
In advance of Afghanistan's first-ever direct president elections in October 2004, the Institute provided political parties the infrastructure, services, and information necessary to participate effectively in Afghanistan's political and electoral process. Through NDI's regional offices, the Institute conducted training seminars and workshops on a national scale for political parties on electoral processes, campaigning, and party development.
On September 18, 2005, Afghanistan held elections for the lower house of the National Assembly (Wolesi Jirga) and provincial council, following an energetic campaign period with nearly 6,000 candidate participants, over 550 of whom were women. Given the enormous complexity of the balloting, voting, and vote-counting processes, the generally smooth administration and conclusion of these elections were considerable achievements.
In advance of the 2005 parliamentary elections, NDI trained over 13,000 campaign participants, including over 2,000 women, and provided training workshops to approximately 44,000 candidate agents. NDI also assisted in the establishment of an Afghan election monitoring organization known as the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA), which conducted the most extensive domestic monitoring effort for the 2005 elections.
Provincial Councils
Afghanistan’s provincial councils, elected in October 2004, also face great challenges as first-time representatives of their constituencies. Through the Institute's regional offices, NDI provides councilors with on-going assistance to build their skills and encourage them to advocate for the interests of their constituencies. With assistance from NDI, the 19 councils in the program have held consultations with local leaders and civil society organizations to gain input from the community, conducted open public hearings, and developed oversight reports on local development projects. The councils serve to aggregate the public’s needs and make recommendations, in the form of a formal proposal to the provincial governor, that are responsive to those needs.
