Questions as voters’ list still missing

Electoral disputes have eroded public’s trust in democratic processes. Apart from the 2004 presidential race, the results of all elections held since the ouster of the Taliban regime in 2001 were controversial due to allegations of fraud. The previous two presidential elections in 2009 and 2014 diminished rather than bolstered people’s faith in a peaceful transition of power through the direct votes of people. When presidential runners preferred political compromise to the poll results, Afghans arrived at a conclusion that their ballot do not count anymore. The National Unity Government’s actions with regard to election further discredited the democratic process. Not only did it delay the parliamentary and district council elections several times, but it also betrayed all its promises for ensuring the transparency of election. The distribution of the electronic national identity cards (e-NICs), which is one of the best tools to guarantee a transparent election, is still in its early stages.
Even now that a date has been set, and candidates have registered themselves for the parliamentary and district council elections, the government and Independent Election Commission (IEC) take actions that prompt people to be skeptical of their results. For instance, there are questions about the number of registered voters. While the IEC insists that about nine million people have registered their names to vote in the upcoming election, the figure can hardly be trusted. The government may intentionally show the turnout higher than it really is so that one of the key tenets of election — the inclusiveness — does not come under question; however, it increases doubts about “engineered fraud” in the election. To ensure an inclusive election, the government should restore trust in, and provide security for the democratic process than release exaggerated figures. Everyone knows that these figures do not seem realistic given the security situation in the country and the level of public’s trust in election.
When the number of registered voters cannot be trusted, how people will place their faith in the election result; and when voters are not sure whether their votes can change the result of election or not, why they should take a huge risk by participating in the polls. All concerns and questions about the voters’ list should be addressed. The United Nations and civil society organizations overseeing the election process should carry out an impartial investigation into the voters’ list, and counter fraud in the election by determining the real number of voters.