Archived Document
I. Introduction
Eight years since the allied ouster of the Taliban regime, the Afghanistan balance sheet presents both pluses and minuses. The latest coalition analysis acknowledges that the insurgents have seized the initiative, both in the armed conflict and by creating a crisis of confidence among the populace through the equally important “silent war” of fear, intimidation and persuasion. At the same time the widely acknowledged fraud in the landmark presidential election poses an equally serious crisis of credibility within Afghanistan and in nations whose soldiers are fighting and dying on Afghan soil.
Yet the Afghan people, while voicing frustration that their fledgling democratic institutions have not delivered more, nonetheless turned out in significant numbers to vote, despite being subject to violence and intimidation from the insurgents. Canada’s engagement in Afghanistan is contributing directly to strengthening such institutions, to increasing the capacity of the Afghan government to extend basic services and to bolstering the ability of Afghan forces to provide security.
This report covers the period from July 1 to September 30, and pays particular attention to national institutions and democratic governance as core elements in Canada’s mission in Afghanistan. This focus may seem self-evident since presidential and provincial council elections were held across the country on August 20, the first Afghan-led elections in three decades. Yet the polling day itself is only part of the story. Just as vital to democratic governance is the capacity for all the nitty-gritty of an election—publicizing how and where to vote, inclusive voter registration, an open nominating procedure, neutral and unbiased media, impartial adjudication of complaints, accessible voting centres and efficient supervision and administration of the actual voting. In Afghanistan all this and more had to be provided in areas racked by insurgent violence.
