Afghanistan: Elections

Foreign and Commonwealth Office written question – answered at on 29 November 2018.

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Photo of Emily Thornberry Emily Thornberry Shadow Foreign Secretary

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Afghanistan on concerns on the electoral process in that country identified by (a) the Afghan Independent Election Commission, (b) the Afghan Independent Electoral Complaints Commission and (c) international election observers in relation to the parliamentary election held on 20 and 21 October 2018.

Photo of Emily Thornberry Emily Thornberry Shadow Foreign Secretary

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of Afghan voters prevented from casting their ballot in the parliamentary election of 20 and 21 October 2018 as a result of the closure of polling stations in parts of that country.

Photo of Emily Thornberry Emily Thornberry Shadow Foreign Secretary

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications of the conduct of the parliamentary election held in Afghanistan on 20 and 21 October 2018 on the prospects for ensuring that the forthcoming presidential election in that country is conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.

Photo of Emily Thornberry Emily Thornberry Shadow Foreign Secretary

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Afghanistan on the potential postponement of the presidential election due to take place in that country in April 2019.

Photo of Mark Field Mark Field Minister of State

We welcome the fact that the recent parliamentary elections represented the first Afghan-led and secured election since 2001. We are aware of the various operational challenges that disrupted voting, including some 2,255 polling centres unable to register voters earlier in the year and the some 261 which did not open on election day. These closures were largely owing to security and operational challenges. In spite of challenges, 95% of polling centres which planned to conduct elections did so, with over 4 million Afghans casting their ballots.

We are working with partners to encourage the Independent Election Commission to ensure transparency in publishing results of the parliamentary elections. We have emphasised the need for a credible timeline and operational plan to deliver presidential elections in 2019. When the Prime Minister spoke to the President of Afghanistan most recently on 7 November, they discussed the need to learn lessons from the October elections and implement reforms ahead of the 2019 presidential vote.

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