ANFREL Elections Observers Report
Iran Team Members
For Afghanistan Presidential Election

Submitted by:

Naoto Sakaguchi; Japan
Miranti Husein; Indonesia
Tenzing Paljor; India


October 16, 2004

Overview

There were a total of six observers for the Afghanistan Presidential Election which visited Iran. Observers arrived in country on October 5 and 6 and departed on October 12 and 13.  The six observers were from the following Asian countries; Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and India.  Mr. Naoto Sakaguchi was the team leader for the observation mission which took place in Tehran province.  In order to have the most geographic coverage, the observers split into two teams of three persons with each team having one female member.  The following report is written by the team comprising of Naoto Sakaguchi, Miranti Husein and Tenzing Paljor.

All team members met and received a briefing with the following officials during their visit. :

• Mr. Xavier Noc, Deputy Head, International Organization for Migration’s Out-of-Country-Registration-and-Voting (IOM-OCVR).: October 6, 2004
• Mr. Fayez, Head of Office, CLJ in Iran; Head of Senior Community Mobilizer, Consultant to IOM-OCVR.: Oct 8, 2004
• Mr. Permon, Deputy Director General, Iran’s Ministry of the Interior, October 7, 2004
• Mr. Andres Smith Serrano, Political Affairs Officer, UNDP: October 7, 2004
• Mr. M. Ali Massoumi, Former Diplomat, Consultant to UNAMA: October 7, 2004

General Election Structure

The Afghanistan Presidential Election took place in seven provinces in Iran. Polling centers were organized in Tehran, Qom, Esfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Zahedan, and Mashaad. IOM-OCVR recruited 55 Senior Community Mobilizers (SCMs), 500 Community Mobilizers (CMs), and 8000 polling staff who were all Afghan nationals. Five criteria were used to select staff and included the following; have a legal identity document, ensure gender balance, ensure ethnic balance, ensure regional balance, and select from a mix of professional backgrounds.  In the seven provinces 125 Polling Centers (PCs) were set up and total number of 1128 Polling Stations (PSs). Field offices were set up in each of the seven provinces.  In each field office five international staff and seven national assistants were deployed. Since one-third of the eligible voters and polling stations were concentrated in Tehran province, nine international staff and 16 national assistants were deployed to the Tehran field office.

Location

In Tehran we selected the Veramin area which has the highest number of eligible voters. Based on surveys done during the Constitutional Loya Jirga (CLJ, 2003) the total numbers of eligible voters in Veramin are 145,969. We visited Veramin to do both pre-election and Election Day observation. In Veramin five PCs with a total number of 62 PSs were set up. The average distance between each PC is about eight kilometers.

We also visited Qom province to do pre-election observation. Qom has a total number of 135,532 eligible voters with 6 PCs and 62 PSs.

Regarding the opening PC visit on Election Day, we selected the PC with the most potential problems. During our pre-election day observation we interviewed and spoke with SCMs, CMs, Polling Staff and visited Afghan communities in and around the PCs. We met Afghans from different ethnic and professional backgrounds, different age groups, and both genders. At the PCs and communities we visited, we first introduced ourselves and ANFREL. We explained our role as international observers and the objectives. All the places we visited, Afghans gave us generous welcome, collaboration and shared their optimism.

Pre-election Observation 07/10/04

Qom

Qom the provincial capital is located three hours south of Tehran city.  In Qom we visited the IOM field office. We met the officer-in-charge and several national assistants. We had a brief meeting with them and after that they accompanied us to visit two Training Centers (TCs).

• The first TC we visited we met approximately 200 trainees. The number of women trainees was higher than men with a ratio of 60% women and 40% men.  Hezaras made the majority of 70%, Pastu 10%, Tajik 10% and others 10%.
• At the second TC we visited, we witnessed clustered groups of young girls sitting on the floor and going through voter information materials.  In two other adjacent rooms there were groups of men sitting on the floor having group discussions and going through the voter information materials as well. There were more than 100 trainees in this center.

Veramin 8/10/04

Eligible voters: 145,969

Center Code: T1/028         Area: Javat Abad                  Number of Stations: 16

Center Code: T1/029         Area: Javat Abad                  Number of Stations: 16

Center Code: T1/030         Area: Ab Barik                     Number of Stations: 10

Center Code: T1/031         Area: Pishva Senardak          Number of Stations: 12

Center Code: T1/032         Area: Pishva Engelab            Number of Stations: 10

Veramin is located two hours southeast of Tehran city. In Veramin we visited 5 PCs and 62 PSs. During our visit we found PC T1/031 and T1/032 very well organized and ready for Election Day. PC T1/028 and T1/029 were not so well organized or well directed, and PC T1/030 had unfortunately encountered a conflict with the local Iranian community. In all five PCs in Veramin we witnessed gender equity and ethnic balance. The polling staff was all adequately trained in voter education.

At PC T1/030, a group of Iranian youth had come late in the afternoon to disrupt the training session. We arrived one hour later at the PC and sensed chaos among members of the staff. There were more than ten police officers in uniform at the site. The Chairperson, supervisor and the staff members we met there were concerned about the security and were even contemplating to close these PSs on the Election Day. They commented that the voters after hearing about the incident and potential conflict on the Election Day may not come to vote there.

At PC T1/029, they were dealing with a space issue. This PC was setup in a warehouse with a large open ground. They were allocated a room with not enough space to set up 16 PSs. Based on our estimation, that room could only accommodate six PSs. We suggested they call the IOM office in Tehran city and get their opinion. We advised the Chairperson to use the ground space. They had already thought about the idea but they were concerned about the daytime heat. The supervisor was worried about the set up since it was the night before the Election.  However, according the briefing book provided by the head of the IOM Field office, the selection of suitable PCs was done on the recommendations by SCM & CMs in close cooperation with Bureau of Alien and Foreign Immigration Affairs, (BAFIA).  We were told by several polling staff members however, that the Iranian authorities decided the venue without input from Afghans. This is an example of the Afghans lack of ownership in the process according to the polling staff.

The Election Day

After the pre-election observation we prioritized our visit to the sites with potential problems.  To observe the opening of a PC we chose what we thought was the most important which was Ab Barik PC T1/030, the site of disruptions by Iranian youth the day before. We felt our presence at the PC would generate moral support for the polling staff and more importantly may prevent further conflict between the two communities. Our strategy was to visit all five PCs twice. In this way we were able to observe the opening and also check the closing and average voter turnout.

Ab Barik T1/030

First visit

Time: 6:30

• This PC in the warehouse is located in most isolated place compared to the other four visited. We left Tehran city at 5:00 am, and arrived at Ab Barik PCT1/030 at 6:30 am. We met with the supervisor and other key members of the staff. At 7:00 am sharp the PSs opened with recitation from Quran and a brief speech by the supervisor. The supervisor then verified, recorded the amount of ballot papers and signed the documents to signify the opening of the PSs. All the staff members cast their vote one by one and the polling stations opened to the general public. About 30 voters lined up outside at the time of opening. As expected due to the conflict the day before voter turnout was disappointing. We spent a little over an hour and witnessed around 60 to 70 voters. Since this PC expected the minimum voter turnout they had cancelled two PSs and sent several staff members to Pisha Engelab T1/032 and Pisha Senardak T1/031 which were expecting potentially larger voter turnouts. One issue we observed was that the secrecy of voting was not properly guaranteed.  Since this PC had limited space the polling booths were set up very close together and polling staff were deployed just behind the booths. We observed the polling staff could view the voting if they wanted to, although during the time we spent at this PC, we did not encounter any such incidents.

Second visit

Time: 15:45

• Since we chose this as our first PC visit, we came back to observe the closing. When we arrived at 3:45pm, this PC to our surprise turns out to have had the most number of voters which were still voting compared to other PCs at closing. Almost all of the eight ballot boxes were full. We learned through the supervisor and other staff members that some rich people in the community decided to rent a private bus and provide bus services to bring voters to the PC. The voters in turn made a contribution to help defer the cost of renting the bus by paying bus fare. Since this isolated location is far away from Afghan communities, many traveled 10 to 40 kilometers to vote. The only way to get to the PC for a majority of the voters was to either take public transportation or walk. Some voters who came late after 4:00 pm were disappointed and were not able to vote. We also noticed that the original polling staff members who were sent to two other PCs to help had returned to resume their duties. At closing the polling staff started to celebrate their success and the warehouse turned very festive.

Javat Abad T1/029

First visit

Time: 8:40

• Overnight this PC had managed to solve their problem of space. They were granted the use of an adjacent building to set up PSs in five individual rooms. At the warehouse they had set up six PSs and two in each of the five rooms. This apparently worked out very well for the polling staff and the convenience of the voters.

Second visit

Time: 14:50

• This PC turned out to be the most peaceful, relaxed, convenient and had good voter turn out. All 16 ballot boxes were almost full.

Javat Abad T1/028

First visit

Time: 9:05

• This PC is located right across from a police station. The PSs opened late for voting at 8:00am because the equipment arrived late from Tehran city that morning.

Second visit

Time: 15:10

• We noticed a poster of Hamid Karzai in front of a private bus parked about 150 meters from the PC.  All 16 ballot boxes were almost full.

Pishva Engelab T1/032

First visit

Time: 10:00

• This PC is located in well known recreation area. Due to its favorable and popular location the voter turnout was overwhelming. We arrived there at 10:00 am, two separate crowded lines for men & women were several hundred meters long. The polling staff was not expecting such a large turnout but they were handling the crowd professionally and doing their duties diligently. They worried that they may run out of ballots and they were trying to make contact with the IOM head office in Tehran city to request more ballots. Apparently they were not able to make contact. At the time we estimated the number of women voters present was higher than men, about 55% women and 45% men. 

Second visit

• Due to time constrain we were not able to revisit this PC. While we were at Pishva Senardak T1/031, we spoke with the supervisor and found out that, Supervisor at Pishva Engelab T1/302 were not able to make contact with IOM regarding ballots. We learned that after all the ballots allocated were enough. It could have been a big problem not being able to contact respective individuals at the IOM office in Tehran city if they had ran out of ballots.

Pishva Senardak T1/031

First visit

Time: 11:05

• This PC was set up in a gymnasium located just on the outskirts of a big town. Due to the fact that it was a favorable and popular location, it turned out to have the second largest voter turnout.  This PC had even set up a music system to entertain voters while they were waiting in line for their turn to vote. The supervisor was worried that they might need extra ballot boxes. They in turn were also trying to contact the IOM office in Tehran city but could not make contact.

Second visit

Time: 14:10

• This PC had more turnout than they had expected. They were not able to make contact with IOM to get ballot boxes. The ballot boxes were all overfilled. We saw staff members using rulers to stuff the ballot papers to make room for additional ballots cast by voters toward the mid-afternoon.

Community visit

First visit: 12:30

Second visit: 17:00

• We visited two different communities at different times. We selected communities that were located about 10 kilometers from the nearest PC. The first community we visited was around lunch time and the second community we visited was after the closing. Our motive was to find out what Afghans thought of this election, if they faced any problems voting, and if we could find any eligible voter who didn’t go to cast their vote.   We were interested to find information on these points.
  

• All Afghans we met had either already voted or were going to vote. Although Saturday is the first working day of the week in Iran, the majority of Afghans in the communities we visited had decided to take the day off to vote. Many acknowledged the importance of voting and were genuinely content to have the chance to participate in a democratic process in electing their choice of candidate. We met Afghans from diverse ethnic groups, assorted professions, the young and the old.

Conclusion

Overall the team witnessed mobile and stationary candidate agents for Hamid Karzai, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq and Mohammad Yunus Qununi in all PCs. The presence of the multiple candidate agents ensured fair and objective election process. Regarding inking we did not come across a single complaint.

Systematic problems:

• In all the PCs that we visited during pre-election and on Election Day mentioned the following problems that eligible Afghan voters faced. The complaints that we heard were all the same in all PCs.

(a)    One of the biggest problems that we witnessed was the Afghans lack of ownership of the process as they were living in Iran as refugees. All the PCs were determined a few days before the election and the polling staff were not able to adequately prepare.

(b)    The majority of the PCs were set up around the city of Veramin and many Afghan lived 10 to 40 kilometers away from there. To get to the PCs they had to take public transportation or walk.

(c)    The majority of PCs were set up in warehouses which were not well known to voters who were coming from far away.  This discouraged voters to come.  Since Pishva Senardak T1/031 PC was set in recreation area it turned out to be the most popular amongst the voter sites due to its favorable & popular location.

(d)    Transportation was another issue which many feared would lead to a very low voter turnout. Since voters lived 10 to 40 kilometers away, they had to take several different types of public transportation to come to the PCs.  If transportation was provided to bring them directly to the polling location then a maximum voter turnout would have been guaranteed. The incentive by community in Ab Barik T1/030 was a brilliant example of how to increase voter turnout by providing direct transportation.

(e)    Saturday in Iran is the first day of the work week. The majority of Afghans in Iran depend on daily jobs.  The voter turnout could have been better if the election was held on a Friday.

(f)     Selecting locations which were well known as mentioned above, paragraph (c), could have resulted in better voter turnout.  If the PCs were set up in schools rather than obscure warehouses this would have been better, but since Saturday is a regular work/school day in Iran they were not able to use the schools. Schools would have been easier to locate for voters and they would have better space to setup multiple PSs.

(g)    In terms of a political campaign, nothing much happened. The team noticed a handful of posters. Among the handful of posters, a majority were of Hamid Karzai and Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq. Afghan voters in Iran did not have access to the presidential candidates’ speeches broadcast on radio and TV as they had in Afghanistan.

(h)    Due to low percentage of campaigning in Iran, many voters did not know the candidates and or their backgrounds. Since the literacy rate is low, especially among the older generation, many had a hard time voting. Voter education in Iran is very important for future elections.

High points:

• Overall we witnessed participation of which was gender equitable. Women played a significant role in working as polling staff and also exercising their right to vote. A young polling staff named Ms. Sima at the Pishava Engelab PC commented in front of Afghan male co-workers that the women are the same as men and have equal rights to vote.  She further commented, we the women of Veramin will come and vote for the future of Afghanistan. Our presence as international observers was very much welcomed by all members of the Afghan community in Iran from election staff to voters. Many Afghans that we met in Tehran city and the province that we visited personally welcomed us enthusiastically and shared their appreciation with us when they learned that we are election observers from different Asian countries.