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Elections (40): The IECC open sessions on election day complaints

Earlier this month, while the IEC was busy deciding whether to announce the highly controversial preliminary results or not, the IECC embarked on its third round of complaints adjudication. The first two rounds – first round presidential and the, now paused, provincial council hearings – had already been a rushed and largely formalistic affair. This […]

17 Jul 2014 Qayoom Suroush • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (39): Has Kerry saved the day?

The full, 100 per cent audit decided on in the ‘Kerry agreement,’ reached late on 12 July 2014, will start tomorrow. It will be the first step in trying to steer Afghanistan out of its presidential elections crisis. The two candidates, Dr Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani both agreed to abide by the results, with the […]

14 Jul 2014 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (38): Candidate positioning after the preliminary results

A day after the announcement of the preliminary results, the US and the UN have sought to temper the shock and anger in the Abdullah camp, as well as the joy among Ghani’s supporters, by stressing that the results are not final. Both Abdullah and Ghani have sought public positions that could allow for a […]

9 Jul 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

“A Dangerous New Turn”: UNAMA reports a sharp rise in civilian casualties

For the first time since UNAMA started documenting civilian casualties in 2009, more civilians have been killed in ground fighting than from any other tactic. In its six monthly report on the protection of civilians, it reported “a direct correlation” in some areas between the closures of international bases and a rise in civilian casualties, […]

9 Jul 2014 Kate Clark • War and Peace

Elections 2014 (36): Some key documents

As an annex to AAN’s election reporting, please find below the text of two letters that the Abdullah camp sent to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on 25 June 2014, as well as the IEC’s answer the next day (annex 1) and the transcript to some of the main recordings that have been released by […]

8 Jul 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (37): Preliminary results before agreement on auditing

The Independent Elections Commission (IEC) has announced preliminary results for the presidential run-off, today, 7 July 2014. The ‘raw’ votes, (largely before fraud has been taken into account) give a turnout of almost 8 million, with Ashraf Ghani getting 56 per cent of the vote and Abdullah Abdullah 43 per cent. For the last few […]

8 Jul 2014 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (35): A delay, an audit and a change of tone

The Independent Electoral Commission’s delay of the preliminary results of the presidential run-off, from 2 to 7 July 2014, and its decision to audit almost 2000 polling stations that show possible signs of ballot stuffing, seems to have signalled a change in the electoral mood. Whereas days before the commission still showed signs of intending […]

3 Jul 2014 Kate Clark • Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

A Break(dance) from the Elections: The street hits the Kabul stage

As election chaos and fraught discussions over Afghanistan’s future weary even the most passionate activist, there is a fringe of Afghans only minimally concerned with politics who spend their time… breakdancing? Not the most intuitive choice for young citizens of a country where many still frown on music and dance. Or perhaps it is the […]

1 Jul 2014 payvand • Context and Culture

The prospect of peace talks after the Bergdahl deal: A Taleban perspective

Bowe Bergahl, now back in America, and the five Taleban ex-Guantanamo detainees, in Qatar, will all be trying to get used to life after detention. Beyond the personal, what political consequences might the deal have? After years of efforts, it was wrapped up unexpectedly fast and, in the end, was a stand-alone deal, not part […]

30 Jun 2014 Borhan Osman • War and Peace

Little Bridges: AAN’s new report on the slowly growing links between Afghanistan and the Central Asia republics

Reports about Afghanistan and its neighbours to the north usually lump the five former Soviet Central Asia republics together as an undifferentiated block  – ‘the Stans’. Such an approach does not reflect the reality of five countries with very different, mainly bilateral and very local relationships with Afghanistan. The distortion has only been worsened by […]

27 Jun 2014 Christian Bleuer • S Reza Kazemi • Regional Relations

Between Co-operation and Insulation: Afghanistan’s Relations with the Central Asian Republics

The latest AAN report, “Between Co-operation and Insulation: Afghanistan’s Relations with the Central Asian Republics”, by Christian Bleuer and Said Reza Kazemi, looks at the state of Afghanistan’s relationships to the former Soviet republics of Central Asia to the north. The authors look at the multi- and bilateral cooperation on various levels and from both […]

27 Jun 2014 Christian Bleuer • S Reza Kazemi • Special Reports

Elections (34): The tug-of-war over the Hazara vote, round II

How did the large Afghan Hazara minority – that surprised everyone in the first round with its nearly unanimous backing for Dr Abdullah – vote in the second round of the presidential elections? Partial results from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) are not yet available, but in one of the key provinces for Hazaras, Bamyan, […]

26 Jun 2014 Qayoom Suroush • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (33): ‘Amarkhel Gate’ – sheep, tape, resignation

The resignation of the head of the secretariat of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Zia ul-Haq Amarkhel, may just have saved the election – if it brings Dr Abdullah back into the process. In support of his demand (one of several) for Amarkhel to go, Abdullah had ceased cooperating with the IEC and his supporters […]

24 Jun 2014 Kate Clark • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (32): A second round surge in turnout in Loya Paktia?

The three provinces of Loya Paktia – Paktia, Khost and Paktika – have seen some of the worst fraud in Afghanistan’s previous elections, particularly the mass proxy use of women’s ballots, so it was understandable that reports of a high turnout in the second round there would be met with suspicion. However, those on the […]

20 Jun 2014 Kate Clark • Pakteen Ibrahimi • Political Landscape

Elections (31): Afghanistan’s confusing election maths

Only hours after polling centres had closed on the evening of the second round of voting in the Afghan presidential election, the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) was already giving the first turnout figures. They were high. Some media broadcast them without question; other outlets were more sceptical, citing anecdotal evidence suggesting turnout might actually […]

19 Jun 2014 Thomas Ruttig • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (30): Some initial reflections on E-Day II

The counting of second round votes from the presidential elections is still under way in much of Afghanistan, although results are now trickling in from some polling stations. Meanwhile, everyone is trying to assess how well the second round went: the impact of security incidents, level of fraud and, especially importantly, how big the turnout […]

15 Jun 2014 Thomas Ruttig • Rights and Freedoms

Elections 2014 (29): The second round election day in snapshots from the provinces

How did the second round election day go? After our collection of voices from the provinces on the day before the vote (read here) as well as on the first round election day (see here), we continued to listen to our Afghan friends, analysts and acquaintances across the country. We asked them if they had been as eager to vote as […]

14 Jun 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape

Elections (28): Last minute procedural changes to pacify candidate complaints

In the run-up to the second round vote, the Independent Election Commission (IEC), has made some changes to how it will run the vote this time. This has mainly been in response to complaints and pressure from the two remaining candidates. The IEC has increased the number of polling stations, has fired several thousand of […]

13 Jun 2014 Martine van Bijlert • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (27): Snapshots from the provinces before the second round vote

How do Afghans feel about the second round of the presidential election ahead tomorrow, Saturday, 14 June? How do they perceive the security situation, the campaigning of the two contenders, the election authorities’ performance – and are they still as ready to go and cast a vote as many of them were in the first round? Like […]

13 Jun 2014 AAN Team • Political Landscape

Elections 2014 (26): The other possible vice president – Dr Abdullah’s running mate Muhammad Khan

Much has been written about Dr Ashraf Ghani’s choice of running mate, General Abdul Rashid Dostum – a ticket characterised as ‘technocrat plus warlord’ – but very little has been heard from or about the other man who might become Afghanistan’s next first vice president, Muhammad Khan. Apart from his being a senior Hezb-e Islami […]

12 Jun 2014 Kate Clark • Political Landscape