Election and a republic system are undoubtedly the greatest achievements of Afghanistan in the last two decades. The significance of these gains is even greater for a country like Afghanistan whose history is riddled with violent and bloody takeover of political power. Through election, people who are the real owners of political power get the opportunity to elect their leaders and entrust politicians whom they trust with the authority to lead the country. Elections reflect the will of people only when they are inclusive, nation-wide and transparent. Inclusiveness is a key requirement for election because it gives legitimacy to the democratic process.
The principle of inclusivity of election is unfortunately backsliding. The participation of people in this democratic process has been on a downward trajectory after every election. On Saturday, Afghans went to the polls in the fourth presidential election since the collapse of the Taliban regime in a US-led invasion in 2001. Voter turnout in yesterday’s election was the lowest. In addition to high-risk areas, the participation of people in the country’s relatively secure areas, including capital Kabul, was extremely low. Lack of public’s faith in the election besides security challenges contributed to the low turnout. Allegations of fraud and the ensuring dispute in 2014 presidential and 2018 parliamentary elections have badly undermined public trust in election. Many Afghans who know that election is the best way for a peaceful transition of power do not participate in election because they are not sure if their votes will count.
In 2014 presidential election, the two frontrunners agreed on a political deal instead of respecting the votes of people. In addition, the votes of people did not shape the results of last year’s parliamentary election. The two elections gave people the impression that votes are not valuable and cannot shape the results of election. Although they know that only election and democracy give the power back to the people as the real owners of power, they do not take part in the democratic process. Government leaders who consider themselves staunch supporters of the republic and election should have restored public’s faith in the election by reforming the electoral system during their term, which would have increased voter turnout and led to a strong, legitimate government.
