Tadamichi Yamamoto, head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Monday at the Security Council meeting entreated Afghan candidates and other “stakeholders” to continue supporting the Afghan election process. He also expressed concern over high civilian casualty rates and the targeting of aid workers and human rights advocates and emphasized that the peace process must move forward.
“I call upon all stakeholders to enable the electoral institutions to exercise their responsibilities in full, including by addressing all complaints through the appropriate legal and institutional channels. Once electoral complaints have been adjudicated in accordance with the law, I urge the candidates and their supporters to accept the outcome. When the election is completed with credibility, it will become a milestone in the history of establishing a representative political system of the country.”
Explaining to the UN council about the drawn out elections process, Yamamoto said:
“The primary reason for the delay is to ensure that the electoral process is as transparent and credible as possible even at the sacrifice of time.”
The UN envoy said that the current election, despite problems, has “improved” from a technical perspective since past elections:
“From a technical perspective, the presidential election this year has improved considerably on past elections in Afghanistan, with much greater transparency. The use of biometric voter verification devices seemed largely effective in detecting and deterring fraud, and several new check mechanisms throughout the process have enabled the electoral management bodies to detect and eliminate multiple and fraudulent votes. Candidates and other political stakeholders have had far greater access to information than in previous elections.“
The UN envoy expressed his concern over the rise in civil rights casualties and attacks on aid workers and Human Rights advocates.
Yamamoto also said the pursuit of peace will remain of “paramount importance” to Afghanistan as the country awaits the outcome of the recent presidential election.
“Whatever the outcome of the presidential election may be, peace will be the issue of paramount importance to the new administration. Even while we await the outcome of the elections, efforts for peace have not ceased,” Yamamoto said.
“Talks between the United States and Taliban have resumed. Efforts are underway to continue with intra-Afghan dialogue. President Ghani outlined his thoughts on peace at the Istanbul Heart of Asia Ministerial Conference. These efforts reflect the strong yearning for peace by all, particularly the people of Afghanistan,” he said.
He said that Afghanistan is in a critical but highly uncertain situation.
“The ongoing peace process, presidential elections, and the possible foreign troops withdrawal, are going hand-in-hand to define the fate and future of our country at a time when Afghans are deeply frustrated and weary of the continued violence,” Yamamato said.
