OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION

Barriers to Greater Participation by Women  

in Afghan Elections

October 28, 2009

SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                           Page i                                     

OFFICE OF THE SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AFGHANISTAN RECONSTRUCTION

October 28, 2009

The Honorable Karl Eikenberry

U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan

Alonzo L. Fulgham

Acting Administrator

U.S. Agency for International Development

This report discusses the level of women’s participation in the elections held on August 20, 2009 and the

extent to which the Afghan government created an environment conducive for women to vote openly

and freely.  Women’s participation is significant to the electoral process because they comprise

approximately half of Afghanistan’s population.  This report includes recommendations for the U.S.

Ambassador to Afghanistan to encourage the Afghan government and international community to take

measures to encourage greater participation by women in future elections including the 2010 elections.

A summary of our report is on page ii.  This performance audit was conducted by the Office of the

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction under the authority of Public Law No. 110‐181

and the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.  When preparing the final report, we considered

comments from the U.S. Inter‐agency Elections Team and the U.S. Agency for International

Development, representing the U.S. Embassy Kabul.  A copy of the comments are included in appendix

III of this report.   

John Brummet

Assistant Inspector General for Audits

Office of the Special Inspector General  

      for Afghanistan Reconstruction
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                           Page ii                                    

                                                                    Special inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction  

i

.

`

  

What SIGAR Reviewed  

SIGAR reviewed the level of women’s participation in the elections held on August 20, 2009, and the extent to which the

Afghan government and international community created an environment conducive for women to vote openly and freely.  

Specifically, SIGAR identified the challenges women voters and women candidates faced in the presidential and provincial

council elections.  SIGAR conducted this performance audit in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C., from March to

September 2009, in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.

                          SIGAR    Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction

What SIGAR Found  

Lack of a secure environment and cultural and structural constraints limited women’s ability to fully exercise their political

rights to register, campaign, and vote in the August 2009 elections.  Observers reported incidents of male proxy voting for

female voters, very low female voter turnout, and women voters voting on instructions from their families or from people

present at the polling station.  Many organizations, including both national and international non‐governmental

organizations, United Nations, and Afghan government institutions, engaged in a variety of public outreach activities to

encourage women to participate.  Nevertheless, many women restricted their movements and participation in the election

process.     

The Independent Election Commission, Afghanistan’s electoral body, and the United Nations lacked sufficient focus on

resolving issues related to women prior to the election.  For example, at least 80,000 female polling staff were needed, but

only 43,341 were successfully recruited, according to the United Nations.  We previously reported that conducting credible

and acceptable elections not only depends on the integrity of the election process but the willingness and ability of the

next Afghan government to continue to build electoral capabilities so that democratic principles and the electoral process

are sustained.  In this regard, the Independent Election Commission needs to specifically address the challenges that female

candidates and voters face earlier in the process and implement the necessary corrective actions to create an environment

more conducive for women to participate in the election process.   

SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Elections                                    October 2009

BARRIERS TO GREATER PARTICIPATION BY

WOMEN IN AFGHAN ELECTIONS

What SIGAR Recommends    

SIGAR recommends that the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, in

conjunction with the United Nations, urge the Independent Election

Commission (IEC) to address the challenges that female candidates and

voters face by taking a number of corrective actions, including

proactively recruit and train female IEC staff and integrate women in

the IEC planning process; communicate to all IEC staff the importance

of following electoral law; increase supervision over staff and publicly

report violators; ensure registration centers and polling stations are

located in secure, accessible locations; and raise awareness of the right

of women to participate fully in the electoral process through broad

civic education programs.  The U.S. Embassy Kabul endorsed the

recommendations and stated that they will urge the IEC, in conjunction

with the United Nations, to implement the necessary corrective

actions.

Kabul Polling Station – August 20, 2009

                         

           

Source:  U.S. Embassy
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                           Page iii                                   

TABLE OF CONTENTS

UBackground                                                                                                                                                                   U1

ULevel of Women’s Participation Limited Despite Outreach Efforts                                                                    U2

UElectoral Environment Was Not Conducive to Women’s Full Participation                                                      U8

UConclusions                                                                                                                                                                   U9

Recommendations                                                                                                                                                     10

Comments                                                                                                                                                                   11

UAppendix I: Scope and Methodology                                                                                                                      U12

UAppendix II: SIGAR Auditor’s Observations on Election Day                                                                              U13

Appendix III:  Comments from the U.S. Embassy Kabul                                                                                      15

FIGURE

Figure 1:  Examples of Posters Used for Public Outreach                                                                                      4           

      

ABBREVIATIONS

IEC    Independent Election Commission

IFES                      International Foundation for Electoral Systems

UNDP/ELECT      United Nations Development Programme, Enhancing Legal and Electoral Capacity for

                             Tomorrow  

SIGAR    Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   1                                     

Barriers to Greater Participation by Women in Afghan Elections

This report identifies the (1) level of women’s participation in the elections held on August 20, 2009, and

(2) extent to which the Afghan government created an environment conducive for women to vote

openly and freely.  To identify challenges women voters and women candidates faced in the presidential

and provincial council elections, we interviewed gender advisors and specialists at the Independent

Election Commission (IEC), the Afghan electoral body responsible for preparing and conducting the

elections; as well as United Nations and non‐government organizations, and Afghan and U.S. officials;

and reviewed human rights monitoring reports from the United Nations Assistance Mission in

Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, the United Nations Development

Fund for Women, and other organizations.   We conducted this performance audit in Kabul, Afghanistan,

and Washington, D.C. from March to September 2009 in accordance with generally accepted

government auditing standards.  A more detailed discussion of scope and methodology is in appendix I.

0BBACKGROUND

The Taliban rose to power in the mid‐1990s and, reportedly, were responsible for massive human rights

violations, particularly directed against women and girls.  Under the Taliban regime, Afghan women and

girls could not engage in politics, were forbidden to obtain an education, and could not participate in the

workforce.  Since 2001, Afghanistan has made some progress in advancing the rights of women, as well

as all Afghans, with the adoption of a new constitution.

The Constitution of Afghanistan mandates equal rights for men and women.  Moreover, the Afghanistan

National Development Strategy requires increased participation by women in public affairs and the

Afghanistan Compact requires female participation in all Afghan governance institutions.  In addition,

Article 3 of the Electoral law, Principle of Equality in Elections, states ”voters shall have equal rights of

participation in the elections;” and article 5, Respect for the Principle of Free Will states “voters and

candidates shall take part in the elections on the basis of their free will.  Imposition of any kind of direct

or indirect restriction on voters or candidates on the basis of language, religious, ethnic, gender, tribal,

geographical, or social status is prohibited.”

The Constitution mandates that women comprise at least 24 percent  of the National Assembly.  The

National Assembly consists of two houses:  Wolesi Jirga (House of the People) comprising 102 members

and Meshrano Jirga (House of Elders) has 249 members.   At least 85 women (or 24 percent) of the 351

members of the National Assembly are to be women.F

1

F  In addition, the Afghan electoral law requires at

                                                           

1

Calculation of women’s seats in National Assembly: 68 of 249  (27.3 percent) seats in Wolesi Jirga, and 17 of 102

(16.75 percent) seats in Meshrano Jirga = 85 women’s seats of 351 National Assembly seats = 24.2 percent.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   2                                     

least 25 percent of the seats in each provincial council to be reserved for female candidates.  There were

121 women (28.8 percent) holding seats in the 420 provincial council seats nationwide, according to an

August 2009 Congressional Research Service report.F

2

The international community investment was nearly $490 million to support the elections held on

August 20 in Afghanistan.  As a major donor, the United States contributed over half ($263 million) with

the intention of supporting a credible process with open and free participation by all Afghans.  It is

estimated that women represent about half of the Afghan population; however, exact figures are not

available.  Following final adjudication of complaints by the Electoral Complaints Commission, IEC

certified the presidential election results according to its website on October 21, 2009.     

1BLEVEL OF WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION LIMITED DESPITE OUTREACH EFFORTS

The lack of security as well as cultural and structural constraints limited women’s ability to fully exercise

their political rights to register, campaign, and vote in the August 2009 elections.  Despite outreach

efforts to encourage women to participate, many women restricted their movements and participation.   

Observers from the Free and Fair Elections Foundation of Afghanistan stated that female electoral staff

appeared absent from about 650 polling centers throughout the country, and this had a direct impact on

the level of female participation.F

3

F   Observers reported incidents of male proxy voting for female voters,

very low female voter turnout, and women voters voting on instructions from their families or from

people present at the polling station.  Proxy voting is a violation of the electoral law and procedures.  

These observers also noted that when female voters approached the station and noticed there was no

female polling staff, they left without voting.  In some instances, even female observers had to leave

stations because men were operating them.F

4

F    

Many organizations, including both national and international non‐governmental organizations, the

United Nations, and Afghan government institutions engaged in a variety of public outreach activities to

encourage women to stand as candidates, according to a human rights report.F

5

F  For example, the IEC

conducted a public awareness program aimed at encouraging women to nominate themselves.  Also,

the Afghan’s Women’s Network and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) sponsored

“The Five Million Women Campaign” to bolster women’s political participation by encouraging women’s

participation in Afghan elections.  IFES reported 1,500 women gathered on August 4, 2009, in Kabul to

                                                           

2

Afghanistan: Post‐Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy, Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern

Affairs, Congressional Research Service, August 14, 2009, pg. 20.  

3

Excerpt from unedited transcript of remarks delivered by Nader Nadery, FEFA Chairperson, Free and Fair

Foundation of Afghanistan, August 20, 2009.  

4

Unless otherwise noted, the term “observers” throughout this report refers to the observers from the Free and

Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan.

5

AIHRC‐UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights, Presidential and Provincial Council Elections, First Report 25

April – 12 June 2009, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Organization (AIHRC) and United nations Assistance

Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), pg. 4.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   3                                     

launch the campaign.  However, this last‐minute campaign, launched just two weeks before the

election, was no substitute for voter education, according to a women’s rights expert.

According to IEC’s website updated as of October 21, 2009, about 4.6 million valid votes were cast on

August 20, which represented about 31 percent of the estimated voting population of 15 million.F

6

F   

Approximately 38.7 percent of the votes were from women, according to an IEC paper provided to

USAID; however, no information was provided on the source of data or how it was collected.  The two

female candidates for President ‐ Frozan Fana and Shahla Ata ‐ collectively received 32,199 votes,

representing a small percent (0.7 percent) of valid votes.  However, in the vote order, they were

numbers 7 and 14, respectively, and received more votes than over half of the field of male presidential

candidates.

According to IEC’s outreach campaign and gender mainstreaming policies,F

7

F posters, leaflets, billboards,

and brochures were used to promote the participation of women in the elections.  For example, several

of the posters were intended to show both men and women as equal participants. Figure 1 on the next

page shows examples of some of the posters that IEC used.  One poster was revised after noting that the

depiction of the scale as a symbol of equality was considered too similar to the icon President Karzai

used on the ballot for his candidacy.F

8

F   

We personally observed female staff at a Kabul polling station where women appeared eager to

demonstrate their knowledge of the procedures and displayed a sense of pride in their participation in

the election process.  We also observed polling staff following procedures:  one woman was denied the

right to vote because the name she had given was her father’s but was not the name recorded on her

voter registration card.  See appendix II for a detailed account of our observations at four polling centers

in Kabul on August 20.

                                                           

6

Certified, valid presidential votes reported on IEC’s website October 21, 2009, were 4,597,727.  The total votes

were 4,823,090 of which 225,363 were invalid votes or votes invalidated due to candidates’ withdrawals, according

to the IEC.   

7

Gender mainstreaming, as defined by the United Nations, is the process of assessing the implications for women

and men of any planned action, including legislation, policies, or programs, in all areas and at all levels.  Gender

mainstreaming aims to promote gender equality and empowerment of women in particular and address gender

disparities and gaps.

8

Each candidate selected an icon that served as an identifier which appeared next to the candidate’s name on the

ballot.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   4                                     

FIGURE 1:  Examples of Some Posters Used for Public Outreach by IEC

                        

Representation of men and women votes                                         Representation of men and women votes

being equal (original poster)                                                                 being equal (revised poster without scale)

                                 

Representation of youth and diversity of women                            Representation of voting linked to progress

and  men voting         

                                                   

                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Source:  Independent Election Commission.      
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   5                                     

Registration Process Posed Barriers for Women

Fears of fraud surfaced during the registration process and continued throughout the campaign period

and on polling day.  At a joint press conference on May 3, 2009, the United Nations Special Envoy to

Afghanistan and the Head of Afghanistan’s Independent Human Rights Commission acknowledged voter

registration irregularities and possibilities of fraud.  The Free and Fair Election Foundation observed all

four phases of the voter registration update process and reported violations, several of which affected

women.  Specifically, the Foundation reported multiple registrations by individuals and registration of

absentees, particularly women registered by male relatives or registered based on a list.  Multiple

registrations were also reported in the 2004 election.  In addition, the location of some registration

centers were too far removed from populated, residential, and public areas and/or not staffed by

females, which discouraged women from registering.  Social norms and traditional practices generally

restricted women’s movement and participation in public life.  For example, district buildings, mosques,

and government offices were used for registration, but some of these locations were not culturally

appropriate for women to enter unaccompanied.   Overall, the Foundation observed low registration of

women in many provinces, which they attributed to security concerns, lack of female staff, and

inaccessible locations.   

The IEC conducted a voter registration exercise between October 2008 and February 2009.  Since it was

not a full registration, the process involved issuing voter registration cards to eligible voters who had not

previously registered, and allowed eligible voters who had previously registered to update their

information or receive replacement voter registration cards.  The IEC estimated the eligible voting

population was approximately 15 million, which represented about half of the estimated population of

31 million.F

9

About 4.7 million additional voting cards were issued during the exercise of which 40 percent were

women, according to the IEC.F

10F  In the 2004 election, about 43 percent of the registered voters were

reported to be women.  Although the level of female participation attained during the exercise was

consistent with IEC’s performance target of at least 40 percent of those registered are women, potential

fraud surfaced during the registration update exercise, evidenced by improbably high levels of female

registration in some provinces.  The practice, which may have started as “proxy voting” (men in

traditional areas voting for women in their family), expanded into large‐scale fraud, according to a June

2009 report by the International Crisis Group.  Further, the report stated that despite indications of

fraud, no additional safeguards were taken against this type of fraud, which requires complicity of local

election staff.   

Moreover, observers reported during the fourth phase of registration that IEC staff were not well‐

trained and familiar with the process, especially during voter registration in female stations.  In addition,

lack of effective public awareness prior to the commencement of the fourth phase of registration, for

example, was a factor for the low turnout of women registrants.    

                                                           

9

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, November 2008, indicated that the

population of Afghanistan was 31,056,997 based on a June 2006 estimate.  

10Since some of the registration cards were replacements for lost cards, IEC estimated that the update exercise

actually registered 4.5 million new voters.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   6                                     

Challenges Faced by Women Candidates

Lack of adequate protection from the Afghan government was a source of complaint and frustration for

women running for political office.  The ballot included two women for President and 331 women for

Provincial Council, based on our count of candidates from the IEC website list of candidates as of July 16,

2009.F

11F  IFES reported that seven of the 82 vice presidential candidates were women.  (Each elected

president has two vice presidents).  The number of female candidates represented an increase over the

2005 provincial council elections of 286 candidates.  While there was an overall increase in female

candidates of about 45, there were fewer female candidates in several provinces due to greater threats

against women in these areas.  However, only one female ran for president in 2004, whereas two

women ran in August 2009.  

Most female candidates ran as independents.  However, a greater proportion of the women running for

provincial council – 20 percent – were affiliated with a political party, compared to 12 percent of the

male candidates.F

12F   One reason for the difference may be that women sought the protection and

campaign resources a party could offer, according to the International Crisis Group.  

The presidential candidates were Frozan Fana and                Photo:  Presidential candidate Frozan Fana     

Shahla Ata and both women ran independent from a

political party.  Frozan Fana, pictured to the right, is a

surgeon from the Balkh province.  She created a website

stating her political platform, but for unknown reasons,

the site closed as of July 13, 2009; the site remained

closed for the rest of the campaign period.F

13F  The

website had stated her political mission as a call for

equality to “support and ensure equal rights of women

and men, remove any kind of inequality and injustice

towards women, and make sure to include them in all         

political, economical, social and cultural decision

making.”                     Source:  IEC List of Candidates.                                                                    

   

                                                           

11To obtain the number of women candidates for president and provincial council, we counted the women

candidates appearing on the IEC website list of candidates as of July 15, 2009.  It should be noted that the names

of the candidates that withdrew may remain on the ballot and their votes may have been counted due to ballot

printing deadlines.

12Afghanistan’s Election Challenges, International Crisis Group, June 24, 2009 pg. 18.

13The campaign period was from June 16 to August 17, 2009.  Campaigning concluded 48 hours prior to polling

commencement.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   7                                     

Photo:  Presidential candidate Shahla Ata                                                                                                                                                                              

Shahla Ata, pictured to the left, is a Member of

Parliament from Kabul.  Her campaign slogan was

“women make up half of society,” as reported in the

media.  Additionally, her platform was to start working

on making life better for the neglected 50 percent of

the country, including speedy reconstruction, provision

of services, justice, judicious use of foreign aid, and

strengthening the economy.  

Both female candidates faced disadvantages; their

posters were torn down, they suffered abuse, and they

feared for their lives, according to media interviews

with the candidates and independent monitoring  

organizations.                            

Source:  IEC List of Candidates.                                         

The following cases, reported by human rights organizations, are illustrative of the intimidation and

discrimination that women provincial council candidates faced prior to the election in May and June

2009:F

14

• May 5, 2009:  In Yangi Qala district, Takhar province, female provincial council candidates

received threat letters.  Despite these threats, nine women ran for local office.

• May 11, 2009:  In Rutaq district, Takhar province, a female provincial council candidate received

a threat over the telephone.  After the police intervened, the threats stopped.

• May 28, 2009: In Baghlan, a female provincial council candidate received death threats from an

anti‐government group.  She relocated to Kabul and police advised her to wear a burqa.

• June 8, 2009:  In Takhar province, a female provincial council candidate was harassed by her

brother‐in‐law and family members; but she refused to withdraw her candidacy.  The brother‐

in‐law was also a provincial council candidate and allegedly had connections to a local criminal

gang.

During the campaign period, visibility for women as political participants remained a low priority for

many, according to the United Nations Development Programme’s Enhancing Legal and Electoral

Capacity for Tomorrow (UNDP/ELECT) project. F

15F  For example, the major television debate featuring the

incumbent and two challengers had no more than a dozen women in the audience.  Female candidates

also continued to complain that they had their posters pulled off walls or defaced and had problems

                                                           

14AIHRC‐UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights – Presidential and Provincial Council Elections, First Report, 25

April ‐ 12 June 2009, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) and the United Nations

Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Political Rights Monitoring project, July 7, 2009, pg.  11.

15UNDP/ELECT managed the international electoral assistance to Afghanistan and coordinated donor funding.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   8                                     

getting any media attention.   Although insufficient, each female candidate had one armed guard paid

by the Ministry of Interior, according to the UNDP/ELECT Gender Advisor.   

Lack of security was a significant factor that affected women voter turnout on August 20, 2009.  There

were multiple reports that women were not adequately protected to vote openly and free from

intimidation.  Security was a key concern for all Afghans, not just women.  Threats to discredit the

democratic process included fears of intimidation, abduction, and assassination of election workers and

monitors, and attacks against polling stations and centers, regardless of gender.   According to the

UNDP/ELECT Gender Advisor, based on information from the IEC Gender Unit, one female candidate

was killed and two female candidates were kidnapped, and there was a failed assassination attempt.  

Some female parliamentarians stated that unless the security situation improved, they were unlikely to

stand in parliamentary elections scheduled for 2010.  

2BELECTORAL ENVIRONMENT WAS NOT CONDUCIVE TO WOMEN’S FULL PARTICIPATION  

Several factors contributed to an environment not conducive to women’s participation, both as

candidates and as voters.  Cultural and structural constraints limited women’s ability to fully exercise

their political rights in the August 2009 election.   Many women candidates were not free to campaign

broadly throughout the country due to attacks and threats against them.  Attacks against women sent

signals to all Afghan women and their families that women should stay at home.   

Campaign Limitations

The ability of women to campaign varied greatly throughout Afghanistan, according to a joint human

rights monitoring report:F

16F in Kabul, for example, all of the 67 provincial council candidates campaigned

by posters, through private in‐house gatherings, and through friends and relatives.  They did not

campaign through media outlets due to limited resources.  In Kapisa, six female candidates did not

campaign in public, but some used the local television station.  In Wardak, two out of seven female

candidates carried out a door‐to‐door campaign; whereas the rest did not actively campaign.  In Logar,

ten candidates, of whom two were supported by a strong political party, actively campaigned.  They

campaigned in schools, in private groups and distributed their business cards.  In Panjshir, seven

candidates campaigned freely in their villages.  Their posters were visible in all districts.  They also used

the local radio of Khorasan, although it had a very limited coverage.

Lack of Focus on Women’s Participation during Election Preparation

Both the IEC and United Nations lacked sufficient focus on resolving issues related to women prior to

the election August 20 elections.  For example, in preparation for the election, the United Nations

created the position of Gender Advisor in December 2008 to ensure capacity development remained at

the forefront and that gender equity issues would be mainstreamed within the IEC with support from

UNDP/ELECT.   However, UNDP/ELECT did not hire a Gender Advisor until May 2009 even though it

considered the Gender Unit essential to ensure sustainability.

                                                           

16AIHRC‐UNAMA Joint Monitoring of Political Rights, Presidential and Provincial Council Elections, Second Report,

16 June ‐  1 August 2009, AIHRC and UNAMA, pg. 11 and 19.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   9                                     

Following the Gender Advisor’s appointment, two Afghan nationals were hired for the IEC Gender Unit.  

The Gender Unit began work to assess, review, and plan its activities in June 2009, just two months

before the election.  The Gender Advisor stated that expectations for the Gender Unit were more

directed to short‐term goals of delivering women to the polls, than on building long‐term political

participation of women in the electoral process.  Although the Gender Advisor was hired for six months,

her contract was extended until December 2010.   A USAID official stated that they plan to recommend a

separate line item in the UNDP/ELECT budget for the gender advisor to ensure there are activities

directed at women in preparation for the 2010 election.  The UNDP/ELECT Gender Advisor concurred

and added that there is also a need for a separate budget for the Gender Unit, as well as separate line

items for gender mainstreaming‐related activities within each department.  Also, the Gender Advisor

stated the IEC Training Department needs to mainstream gender and women into its training materials.  

Just two months before the election, in July 2009, the IEC and United Nations began addressing the

issue of how to recruit women as body checkers, and in other temporary polling staff positions.  

According to IEC, more than 14,000 female body checkers and 80,000 female polling staff were required.  

The total number of women recruited by August 17 was 43,341, according to UNDP/ELECT, far less than

the 80,000 required; in comparison, 77,121 male polling staff were recruited.  In addition, UNDP/ELECT

did not know exactly how many female body checkers showed up on Election Day or how many of them

received training.

Recruiting women for managerial positions was hampered by the necessity for overnight stays.  

Positions such as District Field Coordinator and Polling Center Manager required polling officials to stay

overnight to look after the boxes where votes were cast.  Women would more likely accept such a

position with a mahram F

17F (guardian) present, according to UNDP/ELECT.   IEC did not consider the need

for a mahram in its election planning.

According to the UNDP/ELECT Gender Advisor, based on information from the IEC Gender Unit, the IEC

Gender Unit was told that the provincial offices had enough female staff and even rejected some female

applicants.  However, the UNDP/ELECT Gender Advisor said this was not the case, and many men,

particularly in the south, took the jobs designated for female polling staff.   According to IEC data from

the Department of Field Operations dated September 2, 2009, approximately 3,500 male staff were

recruited for female polling positions.

CONCLUSIONS

Cultural and structural barriers limited women’s ability to fully exercise their political rights.  Women

were under‐represented in all aspect of the process.  However, improving the electoral environment in

Afghanistan depends, in large part, on greater participation by women.  We previously reported that

conducting credible and acceptable elections not only depends on the integrity of the election process

but the willingness and ability of the next Afghan government to continue to build electoral capabilities

so that democratic principles and the electoral process are sustained.F

18F  The IEC lacked focus on the

fundamental needs of women voters, particularly, for recruiting enough female polling staff, locating the

                                                           

17Mahram is a male relative who serves as a chaperone.  Under the Taliban regime, females were not permitted

out in public unless accompanied by a mahram.

18Strategy and Resources Needed to Sustain Afghan Electoral Capacity, SIGAR Audit‐09‐6, September  22, 2009.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   10                                   

registration and polling centers in secure and appropriate areas, and ensuring its staff enforced electoral

law and procedures to encourage women’s full participation.  Officials from the Department of State

and USAID stated that an overall lesson learned in this election is to start planning earlier so that

outreach to women, in particular, is not a last‐minute activity.  Other lessons learned that are consistent

with our observations included increasing the focus on the fundamental needs of women, such as early

recruitment of women polling officials, engaging more men to support women’s participation, and

raising awareness through civic education.   

3BRECOMMENDATIONS

To address the challenges that female candidates and voters face, SIGAR recommends that the U.S.

Ambassador to Afghanistan urge the IEC, in conjunction with the United Nations, to implement

necessary corrective action, including:

• proactively recruit and train female IEC staff and increase the number of female staff to better

integrate the fundamental needs of women candidates and voters in IEC’s planning process,

• communicate to all IEC staff the importance and criticality of following electoral law and

procedures, including  increased supervision over IEC field staff, to eliminate proxy voting (e.g.

men voting for women);

• reprimand and/or publicly report violators of electoral infractions, particularly for proxy voting

(men voting for women) and multiple registrations (men registering for women) to ensure

fairness and credibility in the election process;

• ensure registration and polling centers are located in secure, accessible locations, staffed by

females, to allow women to register and vote free from intimidation, and

• raise awareness of the right of women to participate fully in the electoral process through broad

civic education programs.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   11                                   

4BCOMMENTS  

5BThe U.S. Inter‐agency Elections Team and USAID, representing the U.S. Embassy Kabul, provided joint

written comments on a draft of this report.  Their comments are in appendix III.  In their response, they

endorsed our recommendations and stated that the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan will urge the IEC, in

conjunction with the United Nations, to implement the necessary corrective actions recommended by

SIGAR.  In addition, they provided specific information, noted below, on specific actions already taken

and/or planned in relation to the recommendations.

With regard to the recommendation to proactively recruit and train female IEC staff and integrate

women in the planning process, USAID plans to build capacities of the UNDP/ELECT and IEC Gender

Units with support from the USIAD‐funded IFES Gender Advisor.F

19F  This includes strategic planning with

Afghan ministries and other government stakeholders and reviewing recruitment of female IEC staff in

the field, at polling stations, and security staff (female body checkers).

With regard to the recommendation to communicate to IEC staff the importance of following electoral

law/procedures, increasing supervision of IEC field staff, and reprimanding and/or publicly reporting

violators, USAID stated it had raised these concerns prior to the elections and subsequently.  Based on

these discussions, USAID stated that IEC will (1) dismiss more than 200 field staff (District Field

Coordinators) due to their involvement in irregular activities and fraud, and (2) submit information

related to electoral law violations via other Afghan authorities and government institutions to the

appropriate legal authorities.  In addition, USAID plans to continue to monitor the implementation of

the Electoral Law.  In this regard, IFES capacity building advisor will review, recommend, and urge the

IEC to adopt stronger fraud mitigation mechanisms.

To help ensure registration centers and polling stations are located in secure, accessible locations

staffed by females, USAID stated that new software will be used to help prepare for the 2010 elections,

which is intended to incorporate the staffing, logistics, security, and other specific needs for women at

the polling stations.

Regarding the recommendation to raise awareness of the women’s right to participate fully in the

electoral process through broad civic education programs, USAID’S Bureau for Democracy, Labor and

Human Rights is in the process of vetting society/civic education programs focused on the strengthening

of civil society within the electoral process.  Finally, USAID stated it will provide a full‐time capacity

building advisor, funded through IFES’ electoral process program as part of the 2010 procurement

process.

                                                           

19The IFES Gender Advisor is funded through IFES’ Support to the Electoral Process, called IFES/STEP program.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   12                                   

APPENDIX I:  SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY

We reviewed the (1) level of women’s participation in the elections held on August 20, 2009, and (2)

extent to which the Afghan government created an environment conducive for women to vote openly

and freely.  To accomplish these objectives, we identified the challenges women voters and women

candidates faced in the presidential and provincial council elections.  In this regard, we interviewed

gender advisors and specialists at the IEC, United Nations, and non‐government organizations, and

Afghan and U.S. officials; and reviewed human rights monitoring reports from such organizations as the

United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission,

and the United Nations Development Fund for Women.  We relied heavily on observations made by

others including observers  for the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, Afghanistan

Independent Human Rights Commission, and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, and

consider their reports reliable.  We also observed polling activities in Kabul at four polling stations on

August 20.

This report is the second in a series of reports on the elections.  We conducted work in Kabul,

Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C. from March to September 2009 in accordance with generally

accepted government auditing standards.  These standards require that we plan and perform the audit

to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions

based on our audit objectives.  We believe the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our

findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives.  The audit was conducted by the Office of the

Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction under the authority of Public Law No. 110‐181,

and the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   13                                   

APPENDIX II:  SIGAR AUDITOR’S OBSERVATIONS ON ELECTION DAY

A SIGAR auditor was a member of the U.S. Embassy Election Observation team for the 2009 Afghanistan

Presidential and Provincial Council elections on August, 20 2009.  These are the auditor’s observations:

We were assigned to gender teams of three personnel to observe the Afghan electoral  system of having

separate voting stations for men and women.  We visited four polling centers and several polling stations

within the centers.    

The established process for voting involved the voter presenting his/her voter registration card to the

polling official.  The polling official recorded the voter’s registration card number and voter’s name and

verified that the photo  matched the voter.  Women, however, were not required to have a photo on the

voter registration card.  For cards lacking a photo, the polling official  asked the woman her father’s

name, which was on the card, to verify the card belonged to the voter.  Once the card and voter were

verified, the voter dipped his/her index finder in indelible ink as an anti‐fraud measure to prevent

multiple voting.  The card was also punched with a triangular punch to denote voting in this particular

election.  The voter then proceeded to a second table to receive the ballot(s).  If the voter was from the

province where he/she was voting, the voter received a presidential ballot and a provincial council ballot.  

If the voter was not a resident of the province, the voter only received the presidential ballot.  The ballot

was stamped on the back with an official stamp and the voter went behind a cardboard screen to vote in

private.  After marking his/her choices, the ballot(s) were folded and deposited in a large plastic bin.  The

lids were secured with numbered zip ties to prevent tampering prior to counting.   

We left the U.S. Embassy Kabul at 6:30 a.m. on August 20 and arrived at the first center about 15

minutes later.  Upon arriving, our security detail and the Afghan National Police guarding the polling

center discussed whether we would be allowed to observe and whether our security detail could

accompany  us.  Following about 10 minutes of discussion, the Afghan National Police decided we could

enter the center with our security detail but without their weapons.    

When we entered the center the men’s station was set up and ready to receive voters when the center

opened.  The center had four stations – two each for male and female voters.  The female stations were

still setting up and organizing when we arrived, but appeared to have all the necessary and required

supplies for the election.  We observed an Afghan National Police officer located on the second floor of

the mosque compound where the voting center was located observing the surrounding area.  The polling

station officials and station workers were very friendly and willing to talk and answer our questions.  The

women appeared eager to demonstrate their knowledge of the procedures and displayed a sense of

pride in their participation in the election process.    

We continued to the next center located at a school.  When we arrived, we were directed to the female

polling stations, which were more segregated than at the previous center.  The stations were set up in

small classrooms.  There were 2‐3 female stations in various states of readiness.  Although the setup was

a bit late, we did not see anyone turned away from voting due to the late opening.  One of the stations

had some difficulties with the zip ties used to secure the lid on the ballot box.  A couple of the ties broke,  
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   14                                   

but since each tie had a unique number, the defective ties were removed and replaced.  The new

numbers were recorded and the defective ties were saved and secured.   

We noted a number of other observers at the polling stations including representatives of the European

Union, the Dutch Embassy, Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, and political candidate

agents.  The observers appeared diligent in their duties, watching the process and the participants.    

The third center at a school complex was fully set up and had recorded several (12‐15) female voters by

the time we arrived.  We observed one woman proceeding through the voting process.  Our Embassy

representative was concerned about the layout of the location.  Since it was a large compound with

many buildings, it might be difficult to pinpoint our location should we need assistance.  Therefore, we

left this station due to security concerns and went to the fourth center.   

The fourth and final center we visited was located in a mosque.  There was one female polling station set

up, which had already recorded 20‐25 female voters.  We observed a steady stream of women while we

were there.  When we arrived, there were 3‐4 women waiting to vote.  In comparison, several dozen men

were waiting in line to vote.  We did observe one woman being denied the right to vote because the

name she gave as her father’s was not the name recorded on the voter registration card.  Overall, the

women polling officials appeared to follow the procedures and take their responsibilities very seriously.

Throughout the day the general atmosphere was relatively subdued.  While on a normal day the traffic

was heavy with many street vendors and pedestrians, this day was quite different.  Since President Karzai

declared Election Day a holiday, Kabul streets were nearly empty of traffic and pedestrians, except near

the voting centers.  There were more Afghan National Police, United Nations, and International’s vehicles

on the road than anything else.  As we drove through the city, we noticed there was an Afghan National

Police officer every 30 to 40 feet in addition to many police in mobile patrols.  Everyone appeared

especially alert and watchful for anything out of the ordinary.
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   15                                   

APPENDIX III: COMMENTS FROM USAID AND THE U.S. INTER‐AGENCY ELECTIONS TEAM  
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   16                                   
SIGAR Audit‐10‐1 Women’s Participation in Elections                                                                        Page   17                                   

(This report was conducted under the audit project code SIGAR‐006A).