The EU in Afghanistan – assistance and support to the democratic process

Afghanistan is set to hold presidential and provincial council polls on 20 August 2009 and National Assembly and district elections in 2010. These elections present a formidable challenge because of the recent history of the country, the youth of the democratic institutions and the deteriorating security situation and the fractured political scene in the country. These are also the first ever Afghan-led elections in the country since the first round of post-Taliban elections in 2004 and 2005 were a joint United Nations-Afghan effort. This time the elections will be conducted under the sole stewardship of the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) with the UN acting only in support.

The European Commission is assisting this process through a contribution of €35 million to the UN’s fund for electoral support (ELECT) and an Electoral Observer Mission (EOM). This mission is one of the most challenging EOMs in view of the political context, Afghanistan's week institutions and the difficult security situation.

The EC’s financial contribution will be directed also towards long-term institution building, voter education and civic outreach also in preparation of Afghanistan’s parliamentary elections scheduled for 2009.

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