OSCE election support team arrives in Afghanistan
Craig Jenness, leader of the Election Support Team to Afghanistan, was Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje when pictured here in February 2001. (Marko Georgiev) Photo details
VIENNA, 30 August 2005 - The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe has sent an election support team to Afghanistan, which is an OSCE Partner for Co-operation, to assist with parliamentary and provincial council elections scheduled for 18 September 2005.
The team was dispatched under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July by the Organization's Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and the Afghan Ambassador to the OSCE, Zia Nezam, in line with the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council (PC.DD/30/05/Rev. of 15 July 2005).
The OSCE team of 32 election experts, organized and led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Secretariat, is headed by the Canadian election expert, Craig Jenness.
"We know from our experience in the OSCE region that well-organized elections are important for fostering democracy and human rights and we are confident that successful elections here in Afghanistan will help to boost stability and security in the country, as well as beyond its borders", Jenness said.
The support team, drawn from 16 OSCE participating States, will analyze aspects of the process including electoral legislation, the electoral administration, voter registration, vote counting and tabulation and complaints and appeals. It will also prepare recommendations for improving future elections.
As a first step the advance party arrived on 21 August to establish its offices in the diplomatic quarter of Kabul.
The core group arrived over the weekend and was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Abdullah, who welcomed the presence of the OSCE election support team. The team is scheduled to meet President Hamid Karzai in the coming days.
A further 16 secondees will arrive at the end of next week to complete the team, most of whom are due to remain in the country until 28 September.
The team was dispatched under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in July by the Organization's Secretary General, Marc Perrin de Brichambaut and the Afghan Ambassador to the OSCE, Zia Nezam, in line with the decision of the OSCE Permanent Council (PC.DD/30/05/Rev. of 15 July 2005).
The OSCE team of 32 election experts, organized and led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the OSCE Secretariat, is headed by the Canadian election expert, Craig Jenness.
"We know from our experience in the OSCE region that well-organized elections are important for fostering democracy and human rights and we are confident that successful elections here in Afghanistan will help to boost stability and security in the country, as well as beyond its borders", Jenness said.
The support team, drawn from 16 OSCE participating States, will analyze aspects of the process including electoral legislation, the electoral administration, voter registration, vote counting and tabulation and complaints and appeals. It will also prepare recommendations for improving future elections.
As a first step the advance party arrived on 21 August to establish its offices in the diplomatic quarter of Kabul.
The core group arrived over the weekend and was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdullah Abdullah, who welcomed the presence of the OSCE election support team. The team is scheduled to meet President Hamid Karzai in the coming days.
A further 16 secondees will arrive at the end of next week to complete the team, most of whom are due to remain in the country until 28 September.