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AFGHANISTAN RESEARCH AND EVALUATION UNIT Briefing Paper Series Anna Larson March 2009 Afghanistan’s New Democratic Parties: A Means to Organise Democratisation? Contents Overview1 I. Background 5 In established democracies2, political parties are institutions in which groups of people define and articulate collective political interests in II. Organisational the form of a platform, which is then widely associated with the name Challenges in the of the party.3 Voters are generally familiar with the platforms, past Current Context 8 performance and leadership of different parties and support those III. NDPs: Motivations, they consider to best represent their interests. In general, parties Activities and gaining the most votes in an election win a corresponding majority Resources 16 of legislative seats. In this sense, parties have two basic functions: first, to organise public interests into identifiable blocs, and second, IV. Conclusions 22 to represent these interests at the national level.4 As such, they constitute a key means of facilitating democratic politics. This Appendix: List of paper focuses on the first of these two functions5, assessing how new parties interviewed 23 democratic political parties (NDPs) in Afghanistan could contribute to a process of organising Afghan democracy.6 1 Data for this study was collected in the form of semi-structured interviews with About the Author political party leaders, party members, elected members of the Wolesi and Meshrano Anna Larson is Senior Jirgas, and representatives of the international community working with parties and the elections. Forty-one interviews were conducted in total between August 2008 and Research Officer with January 2009. the governance team 2 This term is used here to denote societies in which democratic institutions are at AREU, and has been functional and “established” to the extent that an extensive number of electoral working in Afghanistan on cycles have passed and power changed hands without these institutions being governance and gender damaged in any way. issues since 2004. She 3 Based on Melvin J. Hinich and Michael C. Munger’s definition, cited in Herbert has an MSc in Conflict Kitschelt, “Linkages Between Citizens and Politicians in Democratic Politics,” Studies from SOAS, Comparative Political Studies, 33, no. 6/7 (2000): 845-879 (definition on page 848). London University. She 4 See Peter Mair “Political parties: What sort of future?” in Central European Science has conducted studies on Review, 4, no. 13 (2003): 6-20. interest representation 5 The second key function—representing public interests—will be the focus of a within the Afghan forthcoming briefing paper from AREU. legislature, and gender 6 The terms “new” and “democratic” are ambiguous due to the fact that many mainstreaming within the parties have connections to previous ones and that most parties, regardless of Afghan Administration. their background, now espouse some kind of democratic agenda. However, there She is currently working is generally considered to be one current of political activity, mainly comprised of the parties involved in the National Democratic Front (NDF), which for the most on a study of political part exists to promote democratic principles (Thomas Ruttig, Islamists, Leftists and parties in Afghanistan. a Void in the Centre: Afghanistan’s Political Parties and Where They Come From (1902-2006) (Kabul: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, 2006) retrieved from http://www. Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit have been sidelined.8 Acronyms AREU Afghanistan Research and Political parties are controversial in Afghanistan. Evaluation Unit Associated with recent conflict and ethnic or CEPPS Consortium for Elections and military factions, they are not considered a Political Process Strengthening potentially positive force by the public or the GoA. CSO Civil Society Organisation From the Government’s perspective, it is feared DIAG Disbandment of Illegal Armed that encouraging parties may fuel civil tensions Groups and contribute to the already deteriorating 9 GoA Government of Afghanistan security situation. This is not unusual in IEC Independent Electoral countries emerging from conflict, where it has Commission been shown that parties can exacerbate existing IFES International Foundation for ethnic tensions, especially when ethnic divides Electoral Systems correspond with the unequal distribution of 10 IRI International Republican Institute economic resources. Even if parties are given ISI Inter-Services Intelligence the space and encouragement to form, limited MOD Ministry of Defense resources, negative perceptions, an absent MOJ Ministry of Justice middle class and a general lack of prioritisation MP Member of Parliament of party activity could also hinder the extent to NDF National Democratic Front which they can function effectively. This paper NDI National Democratic Institute maintains, however, that parties are necessary NDP New Democratic Party for democratisation and that Afghan NDPs in NDS National Directorate for Security particular have a role to play, as a result of their NGO Non-Governmental Organisation stated commitment to the process. NIMD Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy Democratisation is a lengthy and highly politicised PDPA People’s Democratic Party of process, involving many stakeholders with Afghanistan different agendas. Within this process, however, SNTV Single Non-Transferable Vote parties can provide a means to organise the UNAMA United Nations Assistance Mission institutional foundations of democratic politics. to Afghanistan In channelling divergent interests into identifiable UN United Nations and organised categories, they can encourage USAID United States Agency for public participation in elections by allowing International Development voters to more easily associate those competing for power with their principal interests. Parties can gather and group public needs and interests Since the fall of the Taliban regime and the before representing them nationally, and in doing start of the Bonn Process in 2001, Afghanistan so they provide an interface between the public has embarked on the technical and political and the government. Further, when national level process of democratisation. This has involved politics are organised on a party basis, there is the the establishment of a mixed presidential and potential for productive discussion and legislation parliamentary system, a bi-cameral parliament due to the fact that legislators themselves are and an electoral cycle, in which one round of 7 elections has been completed. The Government 8 Interviews with national and international of Afghanistan (GoA) and the international commentators. community have focused on the technical 9 This is reflected in the way the Government has placed formation and development of these democratic enormous emphasis on “national unity” and on preventing institutions, but others, such as political parties, groups forming in Parliament on the basis of ethnicity, region, language or other potentially divisive factors. 10 Frances Stewart and Meghan O’Sullivan, “Democracy, swp-berlin.org (accessed 8 August 2008). Many of the parties Conflict and Development—Three Cases” (Queen Elizabeth interviewed for this paper were members of the NDF. House Working Paper series 15, Oxford: 1998) retrieved from 7 These are generally accepted as having been free and http://www3.qeh.ox.ac.uk/RePEc/qeh/qehwps/qehwps15. fair. pdf (accessed 14 August 2008). 2 Afghanistan’s New Political Parties: A Means to Organise Democratisation? organised into identifiable groups.11 By extension, recommendations are given as a starting point to established parties allow relationships between suggest how this contribution could improve13: different groups (such as pro-government and opposition) to be clearly recognisable. Parties It could be claimed that the current environment Electoral system: In the short-term, given the in Afghanistan is not conducive to the support of likelihood that the next election will use the parties and that other demands on government Single Non-Transferable Vote (SNTV) system14, and donor resources (such as security) should NDPs must organise strategically by, for example, be prioritised. It could also be argued that choosing one candidate per geographical area even if parties were formally supported, they within a constituency so as to make the most would be limited by high levels of corruption in of the system. In the medium to long term, it government institutions and a weak rule of law, is crucial to replace the SNTV system with some while decreasing security levels would enforce form of proportional representation or party self-censorship and a limited scope for party list system to encourage party membership and political activities. However, it is argued here development. To this end, NDPs must continue to that the only way to arrive at the implementation lobby the GoA. of successful, legitimate elections in the future is to start building a culture of democratic Detailed analysis of shortcomings: A constructive participation now—and that parties provide a retrospective analysis of parties’ shortfalls, key mechanism through which to do this. This conducted by parties themselves, could be paper calls for a reassessment of the constructive instrumental in identifying key needs and areas contributions parties could make, specifically in for assistance. The international community terms of organising democratic politics. It argues can only provide assistance if specific
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