SPOTLIGHT
AFGHANISTAN PARLIAMENTARY
ELECTIONS 2018
BY SHRUTI SINGH*
T
he Afghanistan government fi nally held parliamentary
elections on 20 October, after a long-delay of more
than three years. A total 2,565 candidates out of which
417 are women, campaigned for 250 seats in the Wolesi Jirga
(lower house). While the Taliban urged voters to boycott the
elections and continue to carry out hundreds of deadly attacks
against security forces, election candidates, staff and voters.
The Independent Election Commission (IEC) had previously
announced that only 4,530 polling centres, out of 7,355 were
open due to imminent security threats.
The election process also experienced chaotic delays
caused by technical and logistical challenges – polling was
extended till 21 October in some districts. In Kandhar, the
voting took place a week later (on 27 October) due to security
concerns after a major insider attack during US-Afghan
intelligence meeting, in which the province’s police chief,
General Abdul Raziq, was killed.
Elections were also postponed in Ghazni province due
to heightened insecurity in the wake of Taliban’s takeover
months earlier and due to demands of equitable representation
by ethnic groups. The (IEC) has been mandated to hold
elections in Ghazni within four months and voting might take
place along with the presidential elections in 2019.
However, nearly 4 million people out of 8.8 million
registered voters cast their ballots in favour of democracy,
in the elections. Preliminary results are expected by 10
November and the fi nal list of elected candidates is due on
20 December.
The parliamentary vote is a prelude to the presidential
election scheduled for 20 April 2019. The completion of
the polling process without signifi cant lapses suggests that
electoral institutions are capable of conducting a successful
presidential election next year.
The country’s current political system rests on an ad-hoc
power sharing agreement between two rival contenders of the
2014 election - the current president Ashraf Ghani and Chief
Executive Abdullah Abdullah. This power-sharing deal was
brokered by the United States after allegations of election
48 • Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist • Vol 6 • Issue 10 • Oct-Nov 2018, Noida