An Election Observer’s View & Appraisal of the 2014 Afghan Elections

Authors

  • Srinjoy Bose Australian National University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v2i1.80

Keywords:

Afghanistan, elections, fraud

Abstract

In April and June 2014, Afghanistan conducted its first democratic transition of power. This commentary provides a first-hand account and appraisal of the conduct of the elections, and begins by capturing first the atmospherics of polling day, and then reviews some lasting impressions of the same. After identifying some of the common themes and strands that characterised the polling—including, polling procedures, individual and/or team performances of election officials, logistical shortcomings, and the security measures put in place, etc.—the commentary concludes by advocating for the continued improvement (best practices) of the electoral enterprise.

Author Biography

Srinjoy Bose, Australian National University

Srinjoy Bose is a PhD and Prime Minister's research Scholar at the Asia-Pacific Collge of Diplomacy, Australian National University. In April and June 2014, he was an international elections observber (accredited with the Independent Election Commission) in Afghanistan.

References

BBC News. 2014. “Afghan Election: Taliban Removed Voters’ Fingers”. 15 June. Accessed August 8, 2014. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27857343.

Bijlert, Martine van. 2009. “How to Win an Afghan Election: Perceptions and Practices”. Afghanistan Analysts Network. February. Accessed August 6, 2014.

http://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2012/10/2009-AAN-MvB-Afghan-Election.pdf.

Bose, Srinjoy. 2014. “Afghanistan’s 2014 Election: An Observer’s Account”. 22 April. http://thediplomat.com/2014/04/afghanistans-2014-election-an-observers-account/.

Carberry, Sean. 2014. “Taliban Attack on Election HQ Makes Good on Campaign Promise.” National Public Radio. 29 March. Accessed August 8, 2014.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/29/296229874/taliban-attack-election-headquarters-as-vote-nears.

Clark, Kate. 2014. “A Second Round Surge in Turnout in Loya Paktia?” Afghanistan Analysts Network. 20 June. Accessed August 10, 2014. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/elections-2014-32-a-second-round-surge-in-turnout-in-loya-paktia/.

Coren, Anna, Laura Smith-Spark, Masoud Popalzai, and Qadir Sediqi. 2014. “Afghans Flock to Vote for New President Despite Threat of Taliban Violence”. CNN. April 5. Accessed August 8, 2014.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/05/world/asia/afghanistan-elections/.

Donati, Jessica and Hamid Shalizi. 2014. “Kabul’s Serene Hotel Attacked by Gunmen”. The Huffington Post. 20 March. Accessed August 8, 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/20/kabul-serena-hotel-attack_n_5001566.html.

Graham-Harrison, Emma. 2014. “Afghanistan’s Government Split as Karzai Suspends Special Forces Chiefs”. The Guardian. 22 May. Accessed August 6, 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/afghanistan-government-split-karzai-taliban-kabul.

Nordland, Rod and Habib Zahori. 2014. “Bomber Kills Six at Interior Ministry Entrance in Kabul”. The New York Times. 2 April. Accessed August 8, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/03/world/asia/bomber-kills-six-at-interior-ministry-entrance-in-kabul.html.

Ruttig, Thomas, and Pakteen Ibrahimi. 2014. “Election Mobilisation of Women in the Pashtun Southeast”. Afghanistan Analysts Network. 12 June. Accessed August 6, 2014. http://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/a-tribal-pact-and-women-voters-election-mobilisation-in-the-pashtun-southeast/.

Stancati, Margherita, Yaroslav Trofimov, and Nathan Hodge. 2014. “Abdullah Abdullah Campaign Claims Inflated Turnout in Rival’s Power Base”. The Wall Street Journal. 16 June. Accessed August 10, 2014.

http://online.wsj.com/articles/abdullah-abdullah-campaign-in-afghanistan-accuses-rival-of-ballot-stuffing-1402932540.

The Kabul Times. 2014. “16 Taliban Killed in Own Suicide bombing in Ghazni”. 2 April. Accessed August 8, 2014.

http://thekabultimes.wordpress.com/2014/04/02/16-taliban-killed-in-own-suicide-bombing-in-ghazni/.

Trofimov, Yaroslav, Margherita Stancati, and Nathan Hodge. 2014. “Afghans Turn Out to Vote despite Taliban Violence”. The Wall Street Journal. 16 June. Accessed August 8, 2014. http://online.wsj.com/articles/afghans-turn-out-to-vote-despite-taliban-attacks-which-killed-68-people-1402833350.

Downloads

Published

2015-03-25

How to Cite

Bose, S. (2015). An Election Observer’s View & Appraisal of the 2014 Afghan Elections. Journal of Eastern European and Central Asian Research (JEECAR), 2(1). https://doi.org/10.15549/jeecar.v2i1.80