On Sunday, the day after the elections, Kabul had a post-party feel to it. Buoyed by their own amazing, mature, jubilant performance, Afghans were back on the streets in force. There was also the hangover of the so-called indelible ink, but that seems to be dissipating too.
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Afghans put in an amazing performance, in spite of the insecurity that still plagues the country, and the international community has to account for its disappointing performance.
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Our message has been pretty simple: Afghans put in an amazing performance, in spite of the insecurity that still plagues the country, and the international community has to account for its disappointing performance.
As the memory of the indelible (or rather, delible) ink begins to fade, there is an overwhelming sense of excitement in the air. This is greatly aided by the profusion of wedding processions every night. Afghan wedding celebrations include a tour of the city by the new couple, riding in a car festooned with paper ribbons and plastic flowers, followed by a caravan of honking well-wishers.
The month of Ramadan is about to begin. Since it isn’t customary to get married during Ramadan, there have been a lot of last minute weddings going on. Now, after the election, with Ramadan only a few days away, the trend has reached a feverish, floral, beeping pitch.
On Monday, we met with several diplomats and U.N. officials, and did more radio and television interviews. We also remained in close contact with the Afghan Human Rights Commission and FEFA, the domestic election monitoring group here.
U.N. and Afghan officials, plus the U.S. ambassador, spent the day discussing with candidates how to set up an investigative body to receive complaints about the ink problem of the day before. By the end of the day, most candidates had accepted that the complaints route would be the proper course of action, and that counting of ballots would have to begin.
Ballot boxes have started arriving at regional counting centers, and polling staff spent the day sorting through the ballots, preparing for the count.
As this phase of Afghanistan’s transition to peace ends, we are reminding everyone that the elections, though a major success, are just the beginning of the road to achieving peace and democracy, and the Afghan people still need a lot of support.
Today, notwithstanding the euphoria, we are back to pressing the world to meet its commitments to Afghanistan.
It’s been an exhausting and exhilarating week.
