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15 July 2004

U.N. Security Council Supports Timetable for Afghan Elections

Record number of women registering to vote, U.N. reports

By Judy Aita
Washington File United Natons Correspondent

United Nations -- The U.N. Security Council July 15 expressed its unanimous support for the decision by the Afghan government to hold that country's presidential election in October.

In a statement read at a formal public meeting by council President Mihnea Motoc of Romania, the council said, "this election is a key requirement under the Bonn Agreement of December 2001 and represents a new milestone in the process of constructing a democratic, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan."

"The council stresses the importance of using the remaining months to ensure that the necessary preparations are completed and the conditions met for free and fair elections according to the (Joint Electoral Management Body) JEMB timetables," the statement said.

The council also called upon the Afghan Government and the international community "to maintain and intensify" efforts prior to the election to strengthen Afghanistan's national army and national police, accelerate the disarmament and demobilization process, and support efforts to eliminate opium production.

"The council stresses the importance of accelerated progress on the DDR (disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) process in order to create a safer environment for the election process, including security for electoral staff and Afghan voters, to help ensure a free and credible outcome of the electoral process," the statement said.

The presidential election has been set for October 9 and parliamentary elections for April 2005.

The U.N. Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) announced July 15 that more than seven million Afghans have registered to vote and the gender gap is closing as women continue to sign up to vote.

UNAMA spokesman David Singh said provisional figures show that 7,175,651 Afghans -- over two-thirds of the estimated electorate -- have registered so far. But, he said, the figure is considered incomplete because it does not include results from remote regions of the country.

Singh reported that 2.9 million women, more than 40 percent of the registered voters, have signed up since the process began in December 2003.

The country has not had a formal census since 1970 so Afghan election authorities are uncertain of the exact number of eligible voters, but the most recent estimate puts the total at about 9.5 million.

The U.N. Security Council also called on Afghan authorities to provide for the registration of and participation in the elections by Afghan refugees in Iraq and Pakistan.

It called on the international donor community to provide funding and consider additional pledges so that all the costs of the elections will be covered.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)