Helpful Hints To The Election

Here are some answers to a few of the basic questions surrounding Afghanistan's September 2005 elections.

What is the September 2005 voting about?

An estimated 12 million voters are expected to turn out on 18 September to select candidates for the lower house of the national legislature and for Provincial Councils across the country. Voters should choose 249 people to fill the People's Council, which is the lower house of the new National Assembly, marking the country's first national legislative body under its new constitution. Voters will also choose between nine and 29 members (depending on the size of the population in their province) to fill Provincial Councils.

The powers of the People's Council under the constitution include the following:

* debating and approving/rejecting draft legislation
* make state budgetary and other funding decisions
* form special commissions to review/investigate government activities
* interpellate government ministers
* approve/reject the president's governmental appointees

The powers of the Provincial Councils include the following:

* each of 34 Provincial Councils should send one representative to the Council of Elders, the upper house of the National Assembly
* assist in provincial development projects
* advise provincial administration
* act in cooperation with provincial administration

How important are these elections?

In a sense, they are more crucial than last year's presidential vote. While presidential leadership has been important -- the 2004 Afghan Constitution prescribes extensive powers to the head of state, who was elected to a five-year term that began in December 2004 -- the members of the national and provincial legislatures are expected to provide crucial links between the electorate and their regional and central governments. Observers and organizers hope the result is greater stability and broader participation in the country's political decision-making processes.

In light of Afghanistan's extremely limited historical exposure to democratic processes, these elections might also serve as an indicator of public satisfaction with the direction that has been taken since the ouster of the Taliban and the subsequent Bonn agreement in 2001. They could also go far to establish the foundations of political blocs that wield influence for decades to come. Vote patterns will also signal the extent to which influence will be based on common political ground -- rather than strictly ethnic, religious, or provincial divisions.

Who can compete for seats in the People's Council or Provincial Councils?

The major guidelines for candidates include the following: Aside from fundamental citizenship (at least 10 years) and age (25 years for People's Council and 18 years for Provincial Councils) requirements, individuals are banned from running for either body if they have been convicted of crimes or crimes against humanity or have been deprived by a court of their civil rights. Candidates also must be registered voters and must have submitted signatures supporting their candidacies (300 for the People's Council and 200 for a Provincial Council). Holders of a number of senior governmental posts -- at national and local levels -- are banned from competing unless they resign such posts when registering. Finally, the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) vetted candidates for these and other eligibility requirements, including one that says a candidate cannot "practically command" or be a member of any "unofficial military forces or armed groups."

What role are political parties playing?

The past two years have seen a proliferation of political parties registering as the country implements the internationally backed Bonn agreement. Seventy-six parties had been registered through mid-August by the JEMB (to see them all, click here.)

But the role of parties is limited in these elections. The electoral system chosen by the Afghan government for the Chamber of the People and Provincial Councils is called a Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system; it is effectively a first-past-the-post structure that limits the potential influence of political parties. Voters may select single candidates from among those listed on the ballots under the SNTV system, with those receiving the most votes taking up seats designated for their constituencies.

While parties may endorse candidates to both the lower house of the national legislature (People's Chamber) and to Provincial Councils across the country, those people will compete as individuals. Ballots will include candidates' names, titles, photographs, and their electoral symbols -- but not party endorsements.

The role of political parties is widely expected to increase once the national, provincial, and local legislatures begin functioning as candidates form blocs based on party allegiance and other factors.

Who are the major players?

It is still difficult to identify individuals or groups who are likely to emerge ascendant from these elections, but some of the most prominent politicians going into the voting were the same people who competed for the presidency in 2004. (For background on those individuals, click here.) Pre-election alliances and coalitions provide some clues, although it is difficult to predict whether such electoral groupings will remain intact once the votes are counted and seats distributed.

It is useful to keep in mind that more than one-quarter of all seats in the lower house (People's Council) have been reserved for women, whose presence within formal party structures is almost negligible.

sources: JEMB and RFE/RL