INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS Elections and Conflict in Afghanistan SHAHARZAD AKBAR AND ZUBAIDA AKBAR March 2011 n The 2009 presidential elections and 2010 parliamentary elections in Afghanistan saw a fall in the number of voters which points to growing public frustration and disillusionment with elections as a result of insecurity, systematic fraud, misuse of power and a lack of awareness about procedures. n The challenges to institutionalising elections as a democratic procedure in Afghanis­tan are numerous. The most prominent are the security situation, a lack of mecha­nisms to encourage meaningful party participation, weak state institutions and a lack of universal impartiality within government authorities. n The international community in the process has sent conflicting messages to the public about the independence and integrity of the process. Political influence from neighbouring countries and regional powers distorted elections results by providing support for specific candidates. Even international observer missions in Afghanistan are less effective in deterring fraud compared to other contexts because of security conditions. n In addition, three major socio-economic challenges influence the success(or lack thereof) of election participation and institutionalisation in Afghanistan: illiteracy, poverty and women’s unequal status in Afghan society.