Afghanistan: The 2014 Vote and the Troubled Future of Elections
Date
2015-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House
Abstract
The September 2014 power-sharing agreement
between Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah
only partially resolved the political crisis that
followed Afghanistan’s disputed presidential
elections. The compromise of Ghani’s
inauguration as president and Abdullah’s
appointment to the new role of chief executive
officer ended a stand-off that had threatened a
political collapse, but in-fighting has continued to
impede the day-to-day functions of government. The post-election crisis, and the extraconstitutional
negotiations it generated,
highlighted the weakness of the legal
framework, which was unable to provide an
effective, transparent transfer of power. A timely assessment of the flawed 2014
transition is needed if stakeholders are to
address the concerns arising from it and
prevent further damage to democratic
institutions. This is of particular relevance
for the management of future votes, including
upcoming parliamentary elections. The 2014 crisis has created opportunities for
reform, in part by disrupting a political system
reliant on patronage. Popular dissatisfaction
with the status quo could create space for
devolution of some powers to local levels.
The crisis has also potentially provided the
United Nations with a more central role in
supporting democratization. Obstacles to reform include the timing of
parliamentary polls in 2015 and the weakness
of the electoral agencies that oversaw the
2014 transition. A commitment to transparent elections by the
Afghan government, the ruling elite and the
international community is imperative. Failure
to undertake reform will undermine the notion
of democratic elections for the Afghan public.
Description
item.page.type
Other
item.page.format
Keywords
Elections -- Afghanistan., Democracy -- Afghanistan., Democratization -- Afghanistan., Political participation -- Afghanistan.