Working to reform Afghanistan's electoral system and strengthen representative governance

Fifth Observation Report of the 2010 Election Observation Mission: From Counting to Preliminary Results

Written on November 3, 2010 by media in Reports

Kabul – November 2010

Introduction

After verifying hundreds of serious reports of Election Day irregularities, FEFA headquarters staff prepared packages of evidence and information and submitted these packages to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) for follow-up. In keeping with its mission to observe every phase of this year’s elections, FEFA ensured its observers were present during ballot counting, tallying, and recounting as well. This short report summarizes FEFA’s post-Election Day observation activities and findings and makes recommendations to stakeholders for improving the final stages of the electoral process.

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Recounting and Exclusion of Ballots Lacked Transparency

Written on October 28, 2010 by media in Statements

Kabul, October 28, 2010 –The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) expressed concern Thursday regarding the recounting and exclusion of ballots from the September 18 parliamentary elections and called on the electoral institutions to demonstrate greater transparency as the 2010 electoral process enters its final weeks.

FEFA, which that fielded the largest number of NGO observers on Election Day and throughout campaign season, said the recounting and exclusion process was mishandled in many areas of the country. In at least 23 provinces, observers reported serious recounting problems such as missing reconciliation sheets and complaints forms, discrepancies between tally sheet totals and votes contained in recounted ballot boxes, candidates’ agents blocked from observing recounts, and observers barred from signing reconciliation forms. Observers reported hundreds of ballot boxes affected in each category.

“The lack of transparency shown by Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials in many areas and the lack of respect shown for the role of non-governmental observers and candidates’ agents is alarming and at odds with the Electoral Law,” said FEFA executive director Jandad Spinghar.

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Preliminary Election Results Highlight Importance of Complaints Process

Written on October 21, 2010 by media in Statements

Kabul, October 21, 2010–The preliminary results of the 2010 parliamentary elections attest to an alarming level of fraud nationwide and the need for a thorough examination of complaints, the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) said Thursday. The Independent Election Commission (IEC) released the preliminary poll results for the entire country on October 20. More than a million ballots were excluded during tallying and recounting.

FEFA commended the IEC for working to identify a large number of fraudulent votes. At the same time, FEFA expressed concern regarding the dramatic increase in estimated voter turnout between the days just after voting and the release of the preliminary results. The election administration body initially estimated that approximately 4 million voters turned out on Election Day. That estimate jumped to more than 5 million when the preliminary results were announced.

“The IEC needs to provide a clear explanation for this change,” said FEFA executive director Jandad Spinghar.

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FEFA Chairman Talks Elections on Al Jazeera

Written on September 23, 2010 by media in Multimedia

FEFA Chairman Nader Nadery discussed the elections with Kabul Weekly Editor Fahim Dashty and former UN Deputy Special Representative to Afghanistan Peter Galbraith on Al Jazeera’s Inside Story September 19.

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First Preliminary Election Day Observation Report

Written on September 20, 2010 by media in Reports

Kabul — September 20, 2010

The experience of the 2009 elections as undermined by pervasive fraud and high-level malfeasance determined the general expectations of the 2010 parliamentary elections. Definitively proclaiming how this year’s elections went in comparison to last year’s presidential and provincial council elections will require time, careful analysis of data collected by observers, and consideration of both international standards and the many challenges of holding elections in Afghanistan. Moreover, this year’s elections are not yet over. The electoral process is just that, a process, and it does not conclude with Election Day. The post-Election Day complaints phase has only just begun and the final results are not expected for another 6 weeks.

On Election Day 2010, FEFA observed voting and counting with nearly 7,000 observers at approximately 60 percent of polling stations nationwide in 3,538 polling centers. These observers reported to FEFA throughout the day by phone and SMS.

At this point, FEFA is ready to make preliminary statements about how the September 18 vote went. At the same time, FEFA urges all stakeholders and the media to withhold “better” or “worse” judgments until the entire electoral process is complete, and to look at different aspects of the elections ...

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