Terror Attacks On Voting Centers Could Hurt Afghan Parliamentary Elections: Analyst

Attacks on voting process, including the bloody bombing that killed dozens of people including children this week, could hurt the Parliamentary elections due in October this year, said a US expert on Afghan affairs, suggesting that it would be wise to delay the polls to allow more time to coordinate security, voter outreach and registration.

WASHINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Apr, 2018 ) :Attacks on voting process, including the bloody bombing that killed dozens of people including children this week, could hurt the Parliamentary elections due in October this year, said a US expert on Afghan affairs, suggesting that it would be wise to delay the polls to allow more time to coordinate security, voter outreach and registration.

At least 60 people including 22 women and 8 children were killed and more than 130 were wounded in the attack on the Kabul voting center, who were waiting in line outside the center to receive their identity cards to be able to register for vote.

The attack, coupled with small attacks on the registration process in other parts of the country is seen as a blow to the electoral process and there are fears that these would significantly reduce the turnout unless steps were taken to improve the security.

Voter registration is already lower than expected in the first phase of the process. Registration process is currently focused on provincial capital and there are fears of more violence when the process moves to district centers and rural areas, said the United States Institute of Peace (USIS) in its commentary on the issue.

In Afghanistan, theres a tradeoff between time, quality and participation in elections.

In this case, election authorities would be wise to allow more time to coordinate security, voter outreach and registration, said Scott Worden, Director Afghanistan and Central Asia Programs at USIP, in an interview.

Worden is a former senior official with Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs at the USAID and was a commissioner on Afghanistans Electoral Complaints Commission during the 2009 presidential elections.

Afghans are registering for both parliamentary elections this year as well as presidential elections which are due in April next year. Stressing that the presidential elections were much more important and must be perceived as credible, Worden said that that the Independent Election Commission should take the time to get voter registration right even if it causes parliamentary elections to be further delayed.

Not all people who register will actually vote, Worden said adding that if the threat of violence reduces registration totals below the seven million people who voted in the last election, it would raise big questions about the legitimacy of the process. If too few people participate in an election the public won't feel legitimately represented by the new government, he said.