Afghanistan (What Everyone Needs To Know®) by Barnett R. Rubin

Afghanistan (What Everyone Needs To Know®) by Barnett R. Rubin

Author:Barnett R. Rubin [Rubin, Barnett R.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 2020-06-30T16:00:00+00:00


What is the role of elections?

The constitution provided for direct elections by universal adult suffrage of the president of the republic every five years, of the Wolesi Jirga (lower house of parliament) every five years, of provincial councils every four years, district councils every three years, and municipal councils for terms and at intervals to be determined by law. The country has held presidential elections in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2019; parliamentary elections in 2005, 2010, and 2018; and provincial council elections in 2005, 2009, and 2014. The lack of constitutionally chosen district councils meant that the upper house of parliament or Senate (Meshrano Jirga) could not be formed in a constitutional manner, nor could the Loya Jirga.

The constitution requires Afghanistan to hold more elections than it actually can. Every election relies on foreign assistance and expertise. Elections are much cheaper in India, where the civil service conducts them, but Afghanistan’s lack of a well-functioning local administration in much of the country means that elections require establishing a dedicated nationwide administrative body each time. Supplying polling stations with voting materials initially required logistical help from the international armed forces. The electoral commission established by the constitution cannot call elections freely as required by law: mobilizing sufficient funding, largely from foreign assistance, is necessary first and cannot be assured in accord with the constitutional timetable.

According to the constitution, the president must win a majority of valid votes cast; if no candidate does so, the government must hold a second round of elections between the two front-runners. This system prevents the election of a weak president whom the majority opposes. The majoritarian principle, however, undiluted by any requirements for regional or ethnic representation, virtually guarantees that in any presidential election where the two main vote-getters are Pashtun and Tajik, the main issue is whether Pashtuns are the majority of the population. Disputed presidential elections in 2009 and 2014 boiled down to a contest over how many votes from Pashtun areas should be disqualified as fraudulent. Similar issues arose in determining the results of the 2019 presidential elections, but in a very different form, due to the use of biometric identification of voters linked to ballot papers.

For elections to the lower house of parliament and provincial councils, the electoral law instituted the Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system. The lack of accurate population data made it impossible to draw single-member districts with equal populations. The alternative was multi-member districts, and all agreed to use the province as the unit. The reason for using SNTV, rather than a system of proportional representation within provinces, was that many Afghans, and President Karzai in particular, are hostile to political parties. The concept of party is associated with an unaccountable armed faction.

Each province received a number of seats in the parliament in proportion to its estimated share of the national population. Candidates can run as individuals or with a party affiliation, but the affiliation is for identification only and does not affect voting, tallying, or the outcome. Each



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