NDI wants observers to follow vote count

Fuente: 
Pajhwok Afghan News
Fecha de publicación: 
07 Abr 2014

KABUL (Pajhwok): A US-based organisation on Monday underlined the need for observers to follow the tallying and complaints process to help ensure the integrity of the April 5 presidential and provincial elections.

Since the margins among the contestants may be slim and a small number of votes may affect the outcome, it is critical that observers follow the tallying and complaints process closely, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) said.

In a preliminary statement, NDI said a final assessment be made only after the electoral institutions had completed their activities.

NDI fielded an observer delegation of 101 Afghan staff members who visited 327 polling stations in 26 provinces. Many of them helped prepare 46,000 candidate and political party polling agents in the lead-up to the elections. 

It also trained 281 of 299 women provincial council candidates and put on a candidate orientation programme for 1,715 (more than 60 percent) of provincial council candidates.  NDI’s program had included 15 international long-term observers who spent five weeks in Afghanistan analysing developments in the electoral process.

They were withdrawn after the March 20 attack on the Kabul Serena Hotel in which NDI observer Luis Maria Duarte of Paraguay was killed along with eight other people. NDI dedicated its mission to Luis and all who have lost their lives.

NDI said the remarkable turnout along with the significant participation of Afghan election monitors, political parties, women, young people and others bodes well for the credibility of the electoral process.

The institute praised a new legal framework and operating structure, creation of a special commission focused on election security and the involvement of Afghan parliamentarians and civil society representatives in selecting nominees to the electoral bodies. 

The Institute’s preliminary statement also included several recommendations to:

·      Ensure transparency in the electoral process. Observers should be provided unimpeded access to observe remaining election processes, including the vote tally and complaints process. This is important for ensuring continued public confidence in the administration of the polls.

·      Prepare for a possible runoff by focusing on the security of polling stations, especially those that were closed for security reasons on April 5.

·      Prepare a transition plan to help facilitate the smooth transfer of power.

 

Source/Fuente: http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2014/04/07/ndi-wants-observers-follow-vote-count