Concern about keeping the gun out of Sunday's election

Afghan war criminals, drug barons and regional war lords must be barred from serving in the nation’s new parliament, due to be elected on 18 September, human rights bodies warned on Saturday. A new survey by the Kabul-based Human Rights Research and Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) highlights a significant lack of trust among voters in the 6,000 candidates for the Wolesi Jirga [lower house] and provincial council elections. HRRAC is a combination of 15 Afghan and international NGOs working in the country. According to HRRAC, at least 500 men and women were interviewed in Kabul, Kandahar, Bamyan, Jowzjan, Herat and Paktia provinces. According to the survey, people in all six provinces expressed deep concerns about local commanders, warlords and war criminals entering into the parliament. Many of those interviewed urged the Afghan government to disqualify those candidates linked to war criminals or accused of human rights abuses. “Most of the concerns are about lack of trust in the candidates and the influence of commanders, the drug mafia and their supporters on candidates and voters, security problems, and the presence of illegal armed individuals at polling places,” said Horia Mosadiq, country director of HRRAC, in Kabul. The government said it was taking the issue of keeping the gun out of the election seriously. On Monday, the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) said 28 candidates had been disqualified from taking part in the election and that 21 of them had been linked to illegal armed groups. The HRRAC report follows a joint report by United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) in late August warning that some electoral candidates were still linked with armed groups and some were holding stocks of weapons. The survey also suggested there was a poor level of understanding about the electoral process and the role of a national parliament among voters, particularly women. “The significant issue among women in six provinces was a lack of awareness regarding the electoral process, several women also reported that male family members or some election officials had told them who they should vote for,” Mosadiq said. HRRAC urged the Afghan government to ensure security for voters, candidates and electoral workers before, during, and after the parliamentary elections.