Report - United States Department of Defense

UNCLASSIFIED
related tasks in support of MoI and MoD efforts, including emergency assistance, as required.
ISAF is planning to provide quick reaction forces across Afghanistan for international
community observers and in the event that security deteriorates beyond the ANSF ability to
control.
A significant achievement this reporting period was the IEC’s publication of “Concept of
Operations: Outline of Activities,” which specifies requirements to conduct presidential,
provincial council, and Wolesi Jirga elections in 2014 and 2015. 29 Although this document
provides guidelines for improving elections management, the Electoral Law has yet to be passed
and the composition of the ECC remains a point of disagreement within the Afghan government.
In February, the IEC forwarded to the security ministries its list of almost 7,000 polling centers
and asked the security ministries to complete security assessments before candidate registration
begins in mid-September.
Although election preparations progressed during the reporting period, a number of challenges
remain which pose risks to the upcoming elections, including on-going debates between the
executive and legislative branches regarding the Electoral Law, and the existence and
composition of the ECC.
At the time of this report, Parliament was still considering two draft electoral laws, one prepared
by the Council of Ministers and a second version prepared by the Cooperation Council, a loose
association of influential political leaders in government and the opposition. The two laws have
to be reconciled in order to clarify the ultimate procedure for resolving electoral complaints and
the process for attaining Wolesi Jirga seats. The final version will also have to be deconflicted
with the IEC Structure Law currently under discussion in a Wolesi Jirga – Meshrano Jirga Joint
Committee as it also contains provisions for the Electoral Complaints Commission. If elections
legislation is not passed, the current laws remain in force. President Karzai can issue laws by
decree during Parliamentary recess, Parliament can overturn decrees upon returning to session,
and Parliament can continue considering the current draft laws during its next session.
Efforts to improve voter registration consumed IEC planning efforts before January 2, when the
Council of Ministers re-stated that the e-tazkera, the biometrically-linked electronic national
identity card, would be issued and used as voter identification during presidential and provincial
council elections and ordered the IEC to identify and eliminate fraudulent registration cards and
only register voters not previously registered. The MoI launched the e-tazkera registration
process March 23, but reported it urgently requires financial support from donors to meet its goal
of enrolling 14 million Afghans by March 31, 2014. Public demand for the e-tazkera increased
as public awareness of the program became more widespread. This places the MoI under
considerable pressure to meet demand. Full issuance of e-tazkera cards is not anticipated prior to
2016. Following the Council of Ministers' decision on the e-tazkera, the IEC revised its efforts
to registering new voters, voters who have returned from abroad, and those who have lost their
registration cards. Voters who do not receive an e-tazkera ID in time will be allowed to use
their old voter cards. The IEC decided to delay the launch of its voter registration to May 26 to
align its efforts with the MoI e-tazkera better and to add security features to the cards.
29 This document was developed in accordance with Presidential Decree 45.
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