KABUL (PAN): In an effort to ensure increased voter turnout in the upcoming presidential and provincial council polls, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) has enrolled sports stars and civic educators to organise mock polling stations throughout the country.
As civic educators continue fanning out across the country in cars fitted with loudspeakers to exhort people to vote, the IEC is distributing sample ballots with the names and pictures of candidates to give voters a feel of what the actual ballot papers will look like.
"Now is the opportunity for Afghanistan to strengthen, not only its electoral institutions, but also other governance institutions to better deliver basic services to its people, to improve the quality of their lives and access to justice, said UNDP Country Director Manoj Basnyat.
Voting day will be the moment to put in practice what people have learnt in mock sessions, such as the one held at Zakias home, in Gurwana village in Bamyan province, with around 25 women voters and three civic educators, the UNDP said in a statement.
As each woman entered the room, her voter registration card was checked and so was her left-hand forefinger to ensure she had not voted before. The finger was inked and two mock ballot papers were duly stamped and handed over. Now women like Zakia know the process: the next step for voting is to get behind a curtain and mark the ballots in secrecy.
"We will decide who we vote for, not our husbands," said Zakia, who added: "We are participating in the elections in the hopes of changing our lives and of our children."
To get voting kits to provinces as remote as Bamyan and Daikundi on time, dispatches are often made by helicopter since it would take five to six days by truck.
Other civic educators are working with prayer leaders to raise their awareness and understanding, realising the important role of faith leaders in helping urge people to vote, according to the press release.
"The people in my province are concerned about the security situation, but I will tell them to vote because it is in the Holy Quran that you have to consult each other to make the right choice," remarked Khiyal Ahmad, a mullah from Logar.
Youth icons like Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist Rohullah Nikpa have also been urging the youth to come out and vote in TV advertisements put out by the IEC.
While the previous election, in 2005, was conducted under the guidance of the international community, this time Afghans are leading the electoral process, through its Independent Election Commission, which has the authority and responsibility to administrate and supervise elections.
"Some people may be afraid to vote, but this voter education by the Independent Election Commission has been very extensive," said Masood Amer, a UNDP staffer and an Afghan national. "At least now most people know how important their vote is and if we want our children to live without fear and have a prosperous future, we have to go out and vote."
The Election Commission has been in the lead on these elections and UNDP, through its ELECT (Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for Tomorrow) project, is coordinating UN partners and international support for the elections.
UNDP is also providing technical support to the IEC in areas as diverse as voter registration, civic education and media monitoring. The aim is to share good practices from other countries, to strengthen national institutions and to develop the knowledge and skills of the Afghans.
mud/pr
