Women's line at Kabul polling station. Photo by: Albana Vokshi

Election Overview

• Voting occurred at 5,000 polling centers encompassing about 22,000 polling stations nationwide.
• Estimates put overall turnout at 8 million or 70% of all registered voters.
• 40% of women who registered cast their votes, with some provinces reporting as high as 56%.
• 594,000 Afghans who had registered to vote in Pakistan cast a ballot on October 9th, with another 260,000 voting in Iran.

The Government of Afghanistan, the assistance community and the Afghan people are now positioned to sustain and build on Bonn process successes for the parliamentary elections. USAID is beginning new projects of parliamentary support, local government, and civil society. These new projects will complement existing programs in the rule of law. All of these projects assist Afghans in developing a political system that will help to make their desire for more peaceful and pluralistic life a reality.

JEMB workers on Election Day.

Although official ownership of the Afghan elections lies with the Joint Electoral Management Body (JEMB) - a joint UN-Government of Afghanistan (GoA) entity, USAID was the largest donor in the elections process, contributing more than $84 million. Collaborating with UNAMA, GoA, and other counterparts, USAID participated directly in early election planning efforts, helping with voter registration and other elections efforts. USAID interventions were strategically designed to strengthen key structural, organizational, and political aspects of the elections process, such as civic education, political party training, and support for observers.

Election worker preparing ballots. Photo by: Albana Vokshi

• Reached 1.3 million Afghans through voter education activities such as training sessions and mobile theatre troops.
• Registered 41% of all women, in coordination with the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).
• Monitored over 1,673 polling centers on Election Day, or approximately 1/3 of the total centers.
• Provided election support in the form of 10,000 observers, as well as printing and distributing 50,000 field manuals.

• Preparations for securing successful parliamentary, provincial and district elections in 2005 are underway.
• Civic education programs are underway in preparation for the 2005 elections.
• In the coming months, a survey funded by USAID will assess the attitudes of voters.

Afghanistan set this historic course almost 3 years ago with the signing of the Bonn Accord. USAID was one of the earliest and largest supporters of the process. USAID was the only donor to support the Emergency Loya Jirga which convened in June 2002. USAID also initiated programs bolstering the major political pillars of Bonn including Justice Reform, Human Rights, and the Constitutional Commissions.

Election worker helping elderly voter into booth. Photo by Marie Frenchon/UNDP

• Provided critical financial and logistical assistance for the Emergency Loya Jirga, which successfully established an interim Afghan government.
• Provided critical, technical and logistical support for the creation of the Afghan constitution by supporting the Constitutional Loya Jirga.
• Rehabilitated nine provincial courthouses and various government ministries.
• Improved communication links between the central and provincial governments through the funding of a radio network, which is under process.

• Continuing construction of 18 additional judicial facilities in 13 provinces.
• Supporting the Afghan Human Rights Commission.
• Funding the establishment and effective operation of the upper and lower houses of Parliament.
• Supporting the effective and transparent implementation of the Afghanistan Stabilization Program that rehabilitates district government infrastructure and conducts training for public administration.
• Training judicial personnel including judges, lawyers, and court staff.

Journalists training for covering the elections. Photo by: OTI

Breaking news was broadcast throughout the election from correspondents calling in by mobile from major cities throughout Afghanistan, as well as regular updates from official sources such as the Electoral Commission. Radio Killid is one of two vital FM stations broadcasting in Kabul, part of a network of community radio stations supported by USAID. In addition to the development of the private broadcast radio and television stations, USAID has also assisted with legal and regulatory reforms to enable free press. USAID worked to ensure that election results are determined and released in an orderly and consistent manner to the Afghan population. To ensure fair and balanced campaign coverage, USAID-funded experts helped to establish a media commission and media monitoring unit that collects and analyzes a representative sample of Afghan media as well as recommend appropriate actions to enforce media codes of conduct.

• Establishing 27 independent FM radio stations, including Arman FM in Kabul and Balkh, provincial community stations developed by Internews, women-run stations, and student-run university radio stations in Herat and Kabul.
• Distributing 70,000 radios to vulnerable populations including women in remote areas across Afghanistan.
• Providing civic education and independent media coverage through support for 18 radio stations that reach over 8 million Afghans.

• Planning development of an additional six to nine radio stations, scheduled to begin broadcasting in advance of parliamentary elections.

They want to keep Afghanistan from getting ahead. We have been waiting years for elections. We will not let anyone pressure us - not Taliban, not Al Qaeda, not warlords, nobody. We want our children to use pens instead of weapons, and only elections can bring that. -Hakim Mahmad, 55, Khost Province