KABUL (PAN): Electoral assistance organisation Democracy International (DI) has begun to deploy its short-term observers across Afghanistan as part of a 60-person international mission to observe the countrys presidential and provincial elections, to be held on August 20.
They join long-term observers already in place. On Election Day, Democracy International said, its short- and long-term observers would be deployed to 13 of the countrys 34 provinces. The provinces are Badghis, Farah, Ghazni, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Nangarhar, Paktika, Panjsher, Parwan, Kapisa and Zabul.
The US-based organisation's mission is one of several foreign delegations observing the polls. Recent violence, including a car-bomb that killed seven and wounded 91 outside the NATO compound in Kabul on August 15, has heightened concerns about security on Election Day.
"Despite this being an extraordinarily difficult election environment for observers we are confident that by deploying to these provinces we will be able to comment on the legitimacy of this election, even in the countrys most difficult provinces," DI principal Glenn Cowan said. "By taking the proper security posture, we expect to be able to successfully observe these elections."
The DI observer delegation is led by former US Congressman Jim Moody, an expert in South Asian politics and US foreign assistance. Moody is joined by both of DI principals, Eric Bjornlund and Glenn Cowan, who have worked in more than 50 countries over the last 25 years.
DIs delegation comprises experts in Afghan politics and US-Afghan relations, democracy assistance, election administration, South and Central Asian affairs, election observation, election forensics, womens participation and civil society.
On July 23 DI deployed 12 long-term observers in Herat, Jalalabad, Kandahar, Kapisa, Panjsher, Parwan and Kabul city.
mud/pr
