“There is a sense and a spirit of democracy in Afghanistan. That spirit is crying out to be expressed. The EU and others are here and offer support, but it is an Afghan-run election and that is a positive sign”, says Svante Kilander, Sweden’s Ambassador and representative of the EU Presidency in Afghanistan.

The polling stations opened at 7.00 local time and voting is still going on, so Svante Kilander cannot give any predictions or information about voter turnout.
“We will receive information throughout the day from sources including the UN System and later also from the EU team of election observers who are out at the polling stations.”

Corruption important election issue

According to Svante Kilander, one of the most important election issues is corruption.
“It is a major problem that is widespread in the country. I think the candidates and voters are all agreed on this”, he says.

Two women are contesting the election. They were the first to be invited to the meetings that the Swedish Embassy held with around ten candidates ahead of the election.
“It is important that there are female candidates. They spoke a lot about the position and rights of Afghan women. Both candidates have also been featured in international and Swedish media.”

Experience of democratisation

Afghanistan’s President is elected for five years. Some 40 candidates are contesting the election. However, there can also be a second round and then the electoral process takes longer. The first democratic election was held in 2004, when the current President Hamid Karzai came to power.
“The EU will hold a dialogue with the government and President who take over. We can also act as a sounding board. The new EU Member States in particular have important experience that they can share when it comes to the democratisation process.”

The EU is involved in Afghanistan both politically and through development assistance, and has a major presence there to help and support the Afghan people in the building up of the country.
“The EU is here and is contributing to the process that is underway in Afghanistan. Now there is the presidential election and within the next year there will also be parliamentary elections. So this is not a one-off event, it is a part of larger context in which the EU plays a significant role.”

EU countries met the candidates

Ahead of the election, the Swedish Embassy, representing the EU Presidency, arranged meetings between each of the most important presidential candidates and all the EU embassies in the country.

“We have spoken with each of the candidates and put questions to them, the same type of questions that would be asked in an election campaign in Europe. We have had very good and interesting meetings that have been really appreciated by the EU countries, and I think also by the presidential candidates”, says Svante Kilander.