Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Fabrizio Foschini

Campaign Trail 6/2: Loya Paktia, Strongmen and Parties

Fabrizio Foschini

In the second part of his pre-election analysis of Loya Paktia – with the three provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Khost -, AAN researcher Fabrizio Foschini takes a closer look at some of the candidates, the equilibrium of power that shapes their chances in the 18 September poll and ponders what will happen to the […]

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Campaign Trail 6/1: Loya Paktia, elections without campaign and (many) voters

Fabrizio Foschini

Loya Paktia, as the three provinces of Paktia, Paktika and Khost are sometimes referred to, is one of the portions of Afghanistan most hardly affected by the insurgency. With a long history of low degree of state control and an equally long border shared with Pakistan’s FATA, the region does not look like the perfect […]

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An Update on Voter Registration

Fabrizio Foschini

Last Thursday, August 12, saw the conclusion of yet another stage on the road to the elections of 18 September. Making sure all those eligible to vote get their voter cards (and one card per voter only) is clearly a major part of any free and fair election. But in what has become something of […]

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The Alchemy of Vetting

Fabrizio Foschini Gran Hewad

The vetting process on parliamentary candidates that was concluded on July 6 has resulted in the exclusion of 36 candidates for alleged links with armed groups, and a remarkable amount of confusion and doubt among those who tried to follow the process closely. There has been a consistent and intentional lack of transparency on where […]

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Campaign Trail 2010 (2): Baghlan – Divided we Stand

Fabrizio Foschini

Situated in a central position crossed by some of the most strategic road connections of the country, Baghlan province shows a high level of social and political fragmentation. The growing instability of the province does not bode well for the oncoming elections, and forecasts future problems for the government and the international forces in the […]

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Campaign Trail 2010 (1): Badakhshan – drugs, border crossings and parliamentary seats

Fabrizio Foschini

The final candidates list for the 2010 parliamentary elections takes shape. It is expected for 21 June. Recently, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) reinstated seven candidates that had been removed from the list before. But currently, the vetting process has been frozen by the IEC – it waits for the return of the President from […]

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The Kuchi-Hazara Conflict, Again

Fabrizio Foschini

As every year around this time, violent clashes have erupted between local Hazaras and incoming Pashtun Kuchis in the pastures of Eastern Hazajarat. Houses were burnt down, people and animals killed, many fled the area. Hazara MPs boycott the parliament’s sessions. But the level of violence seems to be higher than ever. Fabrizio Foschini. Junior […]

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The MP (not) always runs twice

Fabrizio Foschini

The nomination of candidates for September’s parliamentary elections has been completed. It went reasonably smoothly and the preliminary list of nominees has been released by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). A first look at the process by AAN researcher Fabrizio Foschini. It was a relatively short registration process, down from one month in 2005 to […]

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