Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Ali Yawar Adili

Entrance to the main polling centre for men in Gardez city during the 2009 presidential elections. Photo: Thomas Ruttig 2009.

The Afghanistan Election Conundrum (7): A deficient polling centre assessment

Ali Yawar Adili •

A fundamental question ahead of any Afghan election is where polling centres are located. In the past, they have been located in ways that deliberately disenfranchised some voters. New regulations designed to prevent this are aimed at making sure locations are ‘balanced’, ie there are now strict criteria which should ensure centres are near voters, […]

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IEC along with some ECC members announce a delay in parliamentary and district council elections, setting 20 October 2018 as the new date.

Afghanistan Election Conundrum (6): Another new date for elections

Ali Yawar Adili •

The Independent Election Commission has set 20 October 2018 as the new date for Afghanistan’s parliamentary and district council elections. This comes after two earlier dates were missed. The Commission has also announced that it will start to register voters on Saturday, 14 April 2018. As AAN’s Ali Yawar Adili reports, though, the later date […]

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Afghanistan Election Conundrum (5): A late demand to change the electoral system

Ali Yawar Adili •

A group of influential political parties have called for a change to the electoral system. This emerged out of the ongoing dispute between one of the parties, predominantly Tajik Jamiat-e Islami, and the presidential palace over the contested dismissal of Balkh Governor Atta Muhammad Nur. The group wants political parties to have a greater role […]

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A poster from the Afghanistan Central Registration Authorities’s facebook page, posted in December 2017, which promotes the e-tazkera for good governance. The roll-out of electronic cards in Afghanistan on 15 February 2018, steered a heated political debate. Credit: ACCRA Facebook page.

The E-Tazkera Rift: Yet another political crisis looming?

Ali Yawar Adili • Jelena Bjelica •

The roll out of electronic national identity cards, also known as the e-tazkera has begun, heating up a contentious political debate, which had been simmering since 2013. That debate centres on whether the new ID should mention the holder’s ethnicity, and his or her nationality using the term ‘Afghan’ and in particular whether the words […]

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Sayed Hafizullah Hashemi, who has been appointed as the new member of the IEC, is being interviewed by a panel led by President Ghani. The interview was conducted at the presidential palace on 13 January 2018 when Hashemi picked.

Afghanistan Election Conundrum (4): New controversies surrounding the appointment of a new electoral commissioner

Ali Yawar Adili •

The need to appoint a new member of the IEC came after its chairman, Najibullah Ahmadzai, was sacked by President Ashraf Ghani on 15 November 2017. The president ordered the Selection Committee, a body responsible for shortlisting candidates for membership of the IEC and ECC, to be reconvened. The body shortlisted three candidates, from which […]

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On 11 Dalw 1395 (30 January 2017), the IEC had put the options for electoral districts to consultation with civil society organisations. Photo: IEC

The Afghanistan Election Conundrum (3): The dilemma of electoral constituencies

Ali Yawar Adili •

It looks increasingly unlikely that the next parliamentary (and district council) elections can be held as planned on 7 July 2018. Although the Independent Election Commission (IEC) continues its preparations for the polls, important questions remain unresolved. Due to a lack of consensus, the electoral system remains unchanged, but the IEC has been grappling with […]

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Afghanistan Election Conundrum (2): A tight date and a debate about technology

Ali Yawar Adili •

The Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan (IEC) has announced 7 July 2018 as the date for the next parliamentary (and district councils) elections. It has started the preparations for the elections, but has been grappling with a lack of clarity about the budget and decisions about the use of technology in the elections. These issues […]

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Afghanistan Election Conundrum (1): Political pressure on commissioners puts 2018 vote in doubt

Ali Yawar Adili •

While struggling to prepare for the parliamentary (and supposedly also district council) elections scheduled for the 7 July 2018, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) are finding themselves under increasing fire from a growing number of political groups and election observer bodies. There have been allegations of financial corruption, government interference […]

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Two of Mehwar leaders, former NDS chief Nabil and former transport minister Najafi, along with other participants standing for national anthem during Mehwar's inauguration ceremony in Kabul on 16 July 2017. Credit: Mehwar

Mehwar-e Mardom-e Afghanistan: New opposition group with an ambiguous link to Karzai

Ali Yawar Adili •

 A new political group called ‘Mehwar-e Mardom-e Afghanistan’ has emerged in Afghanistan’s crowded political field. It presents itself as being in opposition to the National Unity Government and has called for “a return to the constitution.” The group has been seen from the outset as pro-Karzai. He, meanwhile, seems to have intensified his attempts (once […]

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The Ghost of Najibullah: Hezb-e Watan announces (another) relaunch

Thomas Ruttig • Ali Yawar Adili •

A new attempt is underway to relaunch Hezb-e Watan, the ruling party that was revamped by President Najibullah in 1990 when he renamed the PDPA and tried to shed it’s communist past. Although the intention is to bring together an important segment of the former leftist forces in Afghanistan, the relaunch also has the potential […]

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Cover of a collection of legal interpretations, comments and consultation published by the Constitutional Oversight Commission.

The Constitutional Oversight Commission in a Standoff with President Ghani: Defending their independence or covering up mistakes?

Ali Yawar Adili • Ehsan Qaane •

The Afghan government has found itself in a complicated legal tangle again. After the Independent Commission for Overseeing the Implementation of the Constitution (hereafter, Constitutional Oversight Commission) dismissed its chair, the president ordered an evaluation of the Commission’s performance in a move that looks designed to curtail its independence. Although the legal basis for the […]

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From the right Salahuddin Rabbani (acting Chairman of Jamiat and Foreign Minister), Muhammad Mohaqeq (leader of Hezb-e Wahdat Mardom and Deputy Chief Executive), Atta Muhammad Nur (Balkh Governor and Chief Executive of Jamiat), General Abdul Rashid Dostum (first Vice-President and leader of Jombesh-e Milli) and Muhammad Nateqi (Deputy of Wahdat-e Mardom) formed a political coalition on 30 June 2017 called the “Etelaf baray Nejat-e Afghanistan (Coalition for the Salvation of Afghanistan),” in Ankara, Turkey. Photo: Atta Muhammad Nur's Facebook

The ‘Ankara Coalition’: Opposition from within the government

Ali Yawar Adili • Thomas Ruttig •

Over the past two years, the National Unity Government (NUG) has been challenged by internal power struggles, protest movements and now an ‘opposition’ coalition made up of influential officials from within. It is the first time, however, that leaders of three mainstream political parties from three major ethnic groups have joined forces – at least […]

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