UNifeed: AFGHANISTAN / ELECTION FRAUD

AFGHANISTAN / ELECTION FRAUD

Head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Kai Eide acknowledges there was "widespread fraud" in the August presidential elections. One of the Electoral Complaints Commission's (ECC) two Afghan members reportedly resigned today, citing a lack of Afghan input into the body's decision-making. UNAMA / FILE

Duration:01:49Date:12 October 2009

Categories:

POLITICAL AND LEGAL QUESTIONS, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, MAINTENANCE OF PEACE AND SECURITY, AFGHANISTAN, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

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Full Script

STORY: AFGHANISTAN / ELECTION FRAUD
TRT: 1.49
SOURCE: UNAMA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 11 & 7 OCTOBER 2009, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN / FILE

SHOTLIST:

11 OCTOBER 2009, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

1.	Wide shot, press conference
2.	Med shot, journalist working on laptop
3.	SOUNDBITE (English) Kai Eide, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“I have spent all my time over the last weeks for one purpose – and that is to bring this election process forward. That’s been a difficult process, marred by so many problems, not least, as you know, widespread fraud. So it’s not been easy and that has been my only focus.”
4.	Med shot, photographer
5.	Med shot, United Kingdom Ambassador, Mark Sedwill 
6.	Med shot, French Ambassador, Jean de Ponton d’Amecourt 
7.	SOUNDBITE (English) Kai Eide, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA):
“I could not take this decision one month before the election that would disenfranchise a large number of Afghans from voting. If we had done that, it would, in itself, have created an important element of potential instability in the country.”
8.	Wide shot, audience

7 OCTOBER 2009, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

9.	Various shots, voting boxes arriving at Kabul Airport 
10.	Various shots, voting boxes being delivered to the ECC/IEC audit and review center

FILE – JULY 2009, KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

11. Various shots, Afghan ECC Commissioner Mawlawi Mohammad Mustaf Barakzai at his desk at ECC Headquarters
12. Med shot, Barakzai speaking in an interview
13. Wide shot, Barakzai at his desk

STORYLINE:

The top United Nations envoy to Afghanistan has acknowledged that “widespread” fraud took place during the August elections, but stressed that there are mechanisms in place to ensure that the result reflects the will of the people.

In recent days, former Deputy Special Representative Peter Galbraith has accused Eide of favoring incumbent Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the run-up to and after the country’s 20 August election by allowing voting irregularities to occur.

Eide told a news conference in Kabul yesterday (11 October) that he had “spent all my time over the last weeks for one purpose – and that is to bring this election process forward. That’s been a difficult process, marred by so many problems, not least, as you know, by widespread fraud. So it’s not been easy and that has been my only focus.”

The envoy, who also heads the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said he had not mentioned any specific figure about fraud as “it would be irresponsible” to do so while the extent of the fraud is still being determined by election authorities.

Eide - flanked at the news conference by the ambassadors of the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany and representatives of the European Union and NATO – also refuted allegations made by his former deputy about the election process, including “ghost polling stations” and discrepancies in voter turnout.

On the rejection of a proposal by his former deputy Galbraith to reduce the number of polling centers by 1,200, he said “I could not take this decision one month before the election that would disenfranchise a large number of Afghans from voting”, adding that this could “in itself, have created an important element of potential instability in the country.”

Eide denied that Galbraith’s proposal enjoyed wide support and said the decision on the number of polling stations was a “collective judgment” resulting from his discussions with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Afghan security institutions, NATO, and key ambassadors.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recalled Peter Galbraith, an American, from Afghanistan at the end of September, and has since terminated his appointment with UNAMA.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) and Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) are in the process of auditing suspicious ballot boxes and other complaints related to the elections.

The last of 358 ballot boxes containing presidential votes were flown in from the regions last week to Kabul.

Representatives of candidates, agents, and international and national observers watched over the process. A team of ten persons represented opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah, according to UNAMA.

Today (12 October), one of the two Afghan members of the ECC reportedly resigned, citing a lack of Afghan influence on the body’s decision-making.

Mawlawi Mustafa Barakzai was one of two national ECC Commissioners to serve alongside three international members. Barakzai was appointed by the Supreme Court of Afghanistan.

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