New centres for election training set to make a difference

Newly established election training centres, operated by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and aimed at training people in how to vote during October's elections, look set to make a difference. "This is very significant. We need to provide as much as possible training and awareness for the people," Grant Kippen, country director for the Washington-based NGO, told IRIN in Kabul, noting that this was the first time that free and fair elections were being held in the country, making it new for everyone. And while more than 8.9 million Afghans have registered to vote in the coming elections, many remain unaware of the voting procedures. Moreover, many voters expressed concern that they would be coerced by warlords or other armed parties during the election process. "In this training centre we are training people in order to increase their awareness, emphasising that voting is confidential and that no one can influence how they vote and select their leader," Manizha Mosawi, an NDI trainer at the centre in Kabul, told IRIN. Training included lectures and providing practical insight into what happens at polling stations, she added. Jahanzib, a female trainee of the centre in Kabul, was happy to learn more about the election procedure. "I have learned a lot regarding elections and polling in this centre. This training programme can be very useful for every man and woman in the country," the 36-year-old said, adding that she was enthusiastic about going into rural areas after finishing her training, fully aware that many women were unaware of the process. According to Kippen, over 700 people from across the country have already participated in the election training. NDI had planned on establishing centres in eight locations around the country. Centres were already open in Kabul, Jalalabad, Mazar, Kunduz and Bamiyan and other planned centres include those in Kandahar, Herat and Khost, he noted. Training on the role of polling agents who would observe the voting process, as well as ballot counting on behalf of their respective candidates, would also be introduced, the NDI official explained. The centres are funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Germany and implemented by NDI. NDI is a non-governmental organisation (NGO), working to strengthen and expand democracy worldwide. Based in Washington DC, NDI was established in 1984 and currently has offices in 59 countries around the world. NDI has been in Afghanistan since March 2002.