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[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 151 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 151

Urging the Government of Afghanistan to ensure transparent and credible 
  presidential and provincial elections in April 2014 by adhering to 
     internationally accepted democratic standards, establishing a 
  transparent electoral process, and ensuring security for voters and 
                              candidates.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 21, 2013

  Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Urging the Government of Afghanistan to ensure transparent and credible 
  presidential and provincial elections in April 2014 by adhering to 
     internationally accepted democratic standards, establishing a 
  transparent electoral process, and ensuring security for voters and 
                              candidates.

Whereas Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission has affirmed that 
        Afghanistan will hold presidential and provincial elections in April 
        2014 and parliamentary elections in 2015;
Whereas Afghanistan's current electoral process was established in 2004 by the 
        Constitution of Afghanistan;
Whereas the Tokyo Mutual Accountability Framework conditions some international 
        assistance to Afghanistan on the holding of credible, inclusive, and 
        transparent elections in 2014 and 2015, among other measures to improve 
        governance;
Whereas Afghanistan lacks a comprehensive and accurate voter registry, and 
        previous voter registration drives have resulted in duplicate or 
        fraudulent registrations, according to a report by the National 
        Democratic Institute;
Whereas security concerns and voter intimidation have impeded the ability of 
        people in Afghanistan to cast votes reliably and safely in past 
        elections;
Whereas Afghan women in particular are prevented from meaningful participation 
        in the electoral process due to the security environment, the scarcity 
        of female poll workers, and lack of awareness of women's political 
        rights and opportunities, according to the Free and Fair Election 
        Foundation of Afghanistan;
Whereas Afghanistan's 2009 presidential election was characterized by inadequate 
        security for voters and candidates, low voter turnout, and widespread 
        fraud, according to the National Democratic Institute;
Whereas Afghan officials, including President Karzai and Attorney General 
        Mohammad Ishaq Aloko, disputed the results of Afghanistan's 2010 
        parliamentary elections and established a Special Election Tribunal to 
        investigate allegations of fraud;
Whereas, following the 2010 parliamentary elections, Democracy International's 
        Afghanistan Election Observation Mission concluded that comprehensive 
        electoral reform is necessary to ensure a free, fair, and credible 
        election process in 2014;
Whereas the Honorable Hamid Karzai is the first democratically elected president 
        of modern Afghanistan and has served two terms in that position;
Whereas the Constitution of Afghanistan states, ``No one can be elected as 
        president for more than two terms.'';
Whereas President Karzai stated on January 11, 2013, alongside President Barack 
        Obama, ``The greatest of my achievements [. . .] will be a proper, well-
        organized, interference-free election in which the Afghan people can 
        elect their next president.'';
Whereas, on several occasions since the late 1970s, civil war has broken out in 
        Afghanistan over the legitimacy of the Afghan government;
Whereas United States taxpayers have invested more than $89,500,000,000 in 
        reconstruction and humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan since October 
        2001, according to the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan 
        Reconstruction (SIGAR);
Whereas a democratically elected and legitimate government that reflects the 
        will of the Afghan people is in the vital security interests of 
        Afghanistan, the United States, its partners in the NATO International 
        Security Assistance Force (ISAF), and Afghanistan's neighbors; and
Whereas the most critical milestone for Afghanistan's future stability is a 
        peaceful and credible transition of power through presidential elections 
        in 2014: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) affirms that the electoral process in Afghanistan 
        should be determined and led by Afghan actors, with support 
        from the international community, and should not be subject to 
        internal and external interference;
            (2) expresses its strong support for credible, inclusive, 
        and transparent presidential and provincial elections in April 
        2014;
            (3) urges the Government of Afghanistan to conduct the 
        elections in full accordance with the Constitution of 
        Afghanistan, to include maintaining the quota for women's 
        parliamentary participation;
            (4) honors the sacrifice of United States, coalition, and 
        Afghan servicemembers who have been killed or injured since 
        October 2001 in defense of the democratic rights of the Afghan 
        people;
            (5) recognizes the substantial investment made by the 
        United States taxpayers in support of stability and democracy 
        in Afghanistan;
            (6) recognizes the contributions made by the government of 
        President Hamid Karzai to the democratic progress of 
        Afghanistan, including statements by President Karzai 
        committing to hold presidential elections in 2014 and not seek 
        a third term;
            (7) recognizes that transparent and credible elections will 
        safeguard the legitimacy of the next Afghan government and will 
        help prevent future violence by groups that may be ready to 
        contest a process perceived as rigged or dishonest;
            (8) recognizes that a democratically elected and legitimate 
        government is as important to ensuring the long-term stability 
        of Afghanistan as the successful training and fielding of the 
        Afghan National Security Forces;
            (9) urges the Government of Afghanistan to recognize the 
        independence and impartiality of the Independent Electoral 
        Commission (IEC) and an elections complaints mechanism with 
        clear jurisdiction over the final results, and urges all 
        parties not to interfere with their deliberations;
            (10) urges the Parliament of Afghanistan to pass 
        legislation that will establish a consultative and inclusive 
        process for appointing elections commissioners and allowing 
        election disputes to be resolved transparently and fairly;
            (11) urges the IEC to adopt measures to better mitigate 
        fraud, include marginalized groups, and improve electoral 
        transparency of the polling and counting process and 
        communicate these measures clearly and consistently to the 
        people of Afghanistan;
            (12) urges the Government of Afghanistan to support a 
        credible and effective electoral complaints mechanism whereby 
        its members are perceived as impartial, it is given the 
        ultimate authority on deciding whether a ballot or candidate is 
        disqualified, and it has the time and resources to do its work;
            (13) urges close and continuing communication between the 
        IEC and the Afghan National Security Forces to identify and 
        provide security for vulnerable areas of the country during the 
        election period;
            (14) urges the Afghan National Security Forces to make 
        every necessary effort to ensure the safety of voters and 
        candidates;
            (15) expresses its support for the full participation of 
        Afghan civil society in the election process; and
            (16) urges the Secretary of State to condition financial, 
        logistical, and political support for Afghanistan's 2014 
        elections based on the implementation of reforms in Afghanistan 
        including--
                    (A) increased efforts to encourage women's 
                participation in the electoral process, including 
                provisions to ensure their full access to and security 
                at polling stations;
                    (B) the implementation of measures to prevent 
                fraudulent registration and manipulation of the voting 
                or counting processes, including--
                            (i) establishment of processes to better 
                        control ballots;
                            (ii) vetting of and training for election 
                        officials; and
                            (iii) full accreditation of and access for 
                        international and domestic election observers; 
                        and
                    (C) prompt passage of legislation through the 
                Parliament of Afghanistan that codifies the authorities 
                and independence of the IEC and an independent and 
                impartial election complaints mechanism.
                                 <all>
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