PARADOX OF THE SINGLE NON-TRANSFERABLE VOTE SYSTEM: THE ELECTORAL EXPERIENCE IN AFGHANISTAN
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Abstract
The electoral system can be a powerful instrument in shaping the content and practice of politics in a divided country like Afghanistan. Hence, it needs to be designed to be intricately linked to the local context. Post-Taliban administration, the country’s presidential elections and the subsequent assembly elections face formidable challenges in transforming it from a war- torn fiefdom into a nation. Albeit elections and electoral mechanisms are pivotal elements to be included in the supreme law of the land, the Afghanistan constitution is silent in this regard. Despite the establishment of the Independent Election Commission of Afghanistan in order to remedy the situation, it was not as effective as expected in holding free and fair elections across the nation in successive electoral processes. In addition, the government decided to follow the single non-transferable vote system which was used from the first until last election in 2018 and this system drew various criticisms. Accordingly, this paper intends to explore the sustainability of Afghanistan’s electoral mechanisms considering the nation’s political system and social divisions with the special reference to the paradox of using the single non- transferable vote system. It is submitted that introducing a comprehensive legal framework governing the electoral system in the Afghanistan constitution supplemented by the details rules of that legal framework in the relevant election laws would be a way forward to achieve political stability in the nation.
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