The Washington-based Institute is mobilising more than 100 international and Afghan observers who will monitor every aspect of the election process, including the campaign, balloting on Election Day and the counting of votes. A statement from NDI said the delegation would issue a preliminary statement in the days following the election. By the end of July, NDI had deployed 27 long-term observers throughout Afghanistan, covering all of the countrys regions and the capital. For four weeks before and close to two weeks after Election Day, the observers will monitor electoral activities and meet with candidates, political parties, government officials, representatives of the Independent Election Commission, international and Afghan NGOs, domestic election monitors and other organisations related to the electoral process. "On and around Election Day, alongside the monitoring efforts of the long-term observers, the Institute will field additional national and international short-term observers to monitor voting and counting processes in polling stations around the country," the statement added. The missions international observers include representatives from Australia, Canada, The delegation comprises current and former government, political party and election officials, legislative staff, representatives of democracy and human rights organisations and academics. The Institute said its election observation would be carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation, endorsed by 35 intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations, including the United Nations Secretariat. The mission builds upon NDIs 25 years of experience observing over 200 elections around the world and its significant election-related and operational experience in Afghanistan. The Institutes election observation mission in Afghanistan is funded through a grant from the US Agency for International Development. mud/pr
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KABUL (PAN): The National Democratic Institute (NDI) said on Sunday it was conducting an international election observation mission for the presidential and provincial council elections, slated for Thursday.
