An electronic survey of 66 Afghans from 30 provinces found that views were divided on whether Afghanistan is ready for democracy, with 32 saying no and 23 saying yes. Comments from respondents expressed skepticism that Afghanistan has established the foundations for democracy such as mutual respect, putting the country over personal interests, and an independent election system. However, others believe that as the younger generation becomes educated, Afghanistan will eventually be able to sustain a democratic government.

1. Impassion Afghanistan
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Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel: +93 (0)703 045 284
August 28, 2014
Is Afghanistan Ready for Democracy?
By Alicia Shepard
Managing Editor, Impassion Afghanistan
Afghans are divided on whether they think the country is ready for
democracy or not, according to a survey released August 28 by
Impassion Afghanistan.
Sixty-six people answered the electronic survey from 30 of
Afghanistan’s 34 provinces. Thirty-two believe the country is not ready
for one person, one vote while 23 say it is; 11 said they don’t know.
“Afghanistan is not ready for democracy,”
said a Herat man. “It is like that we expect
a five-year-old child to be ready for
marriage and then have a child.”
While the survey is not scientific, it asked
participants to also share their thoughts
on whether the country, which is
undergoing an unprecedented contentious presidential election, is
ready for popular elections.
Millions went to polls all over the country on April 5 to vote
democratically for one of eight candidates who will replace President
Hamid Karzai. A runoff was held June 14 between Abdullah Abdullah
and Ashraf Ghani, with Ghani winning 56.4 percent of the vote and
Abdullah getting 43.5 percent.

2. Abdullah immediately charged that the Ghani team conducted
industrial-scale fraud and in July a massive audit of some 8 million votes
began, and still, there is no winner declared.
“This controversial election proves that Afghanistan is not ready for
democracy,” said a man from Faryab Province.
“The pillars that are necessary for democracy are
mutual respect, working together and putting the
country first. We don’t have those things in
Afghanistan,” said a female Bamyan resident. “People
only think about their personal and ethnic interests.
It is impossible for one ethnicity to accept another
even if he or she is the best and most qualified
person. Afghans believe in this proverb: “If it doesn’t
benefit me, then I don’t want anyone to have it.”
Many people once proudly displayed their inked blue fingertips proving
they voted. Now some are angry that, in some cases, they risked their
lives to vote. Insurgents had vowed to disrupt the presidential election
process.
The survey and other reports on Impassion’s website Paiwandgah
indicate people are upset with politicians for dragging out the election.
They say it’s hurting the economy and making the country more
unstable.
One respondent believes Afghanistan is ready for democracy, but
questions if leaders are equal to the challenge.
“When people know it is a risk to vote and still vote, and when people
send their daughters to school and university, and when they respect
their wives and their choices, that means people are ready for
democracy,” said a Kapisa man. “But it turns out, unfortunately, that our
politicians are still not ready for democracy.”
Impassion’s survey revealed that 40 percent blame the Independent
Election Commission for the election debacle that has dragged on for
nearly five months.

3. Twenty-seven blamed the Commission, whose members were
appointed by President Hamid Karzai, as most responsible for the
current election situation. Then presidential candidate
AbudullahAbdullah, followed by Karzai. Sixteen blamed Abdullah and
three-blamedGhani.
On Wednesday, both candidates pulled out of the audit.
Respondents are split on whether the audit, which began on July 17 and
is nearing a conclusion, will produce a clear winner.
Twenty-seven said yes; 26 said no. Thirteen are unsure. After
intervention by US Secretary of State John Kerry, both candidates are
now in heavy negotiations to form a National Unity Government, where
the winner will be president and the other or his representative will fill
the position of chief executive and there will be other power-sharing
arrangements. The final details are still being worked out.
The survey shows that 50 percent believe that security should be the
priority for the next government, regardless of who is president.
Eighteen said it should be fixing corruption and six said the government
should work on the economy. This is noteworthy considering it is
estimated that the election deadlock has cost the country millions of
dollars and left many unemployed.
One Khost man offered a short-term solution for the country. Rather
than pick a president and chief executive to handle Afghanistan’s many
problems, an autocrat should govern the country.
“Afghanistan needs to be run by a dictator and ignore all the power
grabbers and warlords,” he wrote. “And force people to follow the laws
in the country. Once people get used to obeying the laws, then
the dictator–run government should stop.”
Many commented that Afghanistan’s experience with democracy is
relatively new. They noted that nearly 80 percent of the country is
illiterate and it will take time to educate the population on a system
where the people have a strong say in their government.

4. They also noted that women, overall, are still treated as inferior and
need to be educated and respected by men and the laws before
democracy will work.
“In Afghanistan, there is still a warlord culture and Mujahideen brothers
play with people’s destiny. Women are raped and there is no system to
punish the criminals seriously,” said a man from Mazar-e-Sharif. “In a
country where almost 80 percent of the women can’t walk on the
streets without a burqa, how can Afghanistan be ready for democracy?”
The future, some noted, lies with the youth. About 70 percent of the
country’s population is 25 or younger.
“Ibelieve in the new generation,” said a woman from Kabul. “However,
we have a long way to go. We lack the very pillars of democracy: justice,
equality, freedom and representation. Democracy has been thrown at us
and we have no option but to embrace it.
“We have managed to come this far and witness the most historic day
Afghanistan ever lived--April 5, 2014, when thousands and thousands of
Afghans came out to vote,” he continued. “I do believe democracy will
eventually work in Afghanistan once the necessary steps that lead to
democracy are taken.”
END