BAMIAN – Conditions in this idyllic province in central Afghanistan seemed ideal for a successful parliamentary campaign: Bamian is the safest area in the country, with no violent insurgency to contend with, a population that by and large supports the government, and a politically active group of candidates.

But the first month of the campaign for the Wolesi Jiga, or Parliament’s lower house, has passed with almost no result. In contrast to last year’s presidential contest, the parliamentary poll is attracting very little attention. There have been no major political rallies, posters and billboards are scarce, and the candidates themselves are keeping a low profile.

In part, this reflects disenchantment with the entire political process, following last year’s badly flawed presidential elections. Candidates and analysts are predicting a much lower turnout in Bamian than in previous polls.

“People are not excited about these elections to the Wolesi Jirga because of the widespread fraud perpetrated in last year’s elections for president and provincial council,” said political analyst Assadullah Mokhles, who is also running for parliament. “The voters are not confident about the results of this election, either.”

Many potential voters have been disappointed with the performance of their elected leaders; campaign slogans have turned out to be just empty words, and the central government has not fulfilled its promises to the people of Bamian, say analysts.

“The fraud in the last elections, plus the obvious interference of external bodies in Afghanistan’s affairs, no rule of law, corruption, and the growing insecurity are the main reasons for the lack of interest of people in the upcoming elections,” said Akbar Daneshjoo, a political activist in Bamian. “People’s distrust of the central government, the behavior of some Members of Parliament, and reliance on a tribal-dominated policy are also playing a role.

The majority of educated people in the province have little interest in the elections, which they feel will bring little positive change to their lives.

Zamain Ali Rafee, a student in the Education Department of Bamian University, questions the entire election process in Afghanistan, specifically transparency and fairness.

“Democracy is not being accurately implemented in Afghanistan,” he said. “The country is actually being ruled on traditional and tribal bases. Afghanistan’s leaders are deliberately blocking real democracy because it is not beneficial to themselves.”

He paused, then added, “How can anyone be optimistic about democracy in such a situation?”

Dr. Khadam Ali, a historian in Bamian, agrees. The two-faced policy of the international community, which has soured Afghans on democracy, is largely to blame, he said.

“There was a great will to implement democracy and to develop the country after the Bonn conference in 2001,” he said. “Unfortunately, real democracy has not developed in the country over the past nine years; instead, the situation is deteriorating daily. We are seeing great gaps in the system which make the current government very weak and ineffectual,” he said.

Noor Mohammad Noor, spokesperson for the Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul, rejects any hint that the system, or his organization, is in any way to blame for the tepid response of the electorate in the parliamentary campaign.

“It is up to the candidates themselves how they want to conduct their campaigns,” he said. “The IEC plays no role.”

Bamian may have other reasons for opting out of the parliamentary election process. The province, which has largely supported the central government and the intervention of the international community, is dominated by the ethnic Hazara group. The people of Bamian participated overwhelmingly in the Emergency Loya Jirga in 2003, and the Constitutional Loya Jirga in 2004, and handed over their weapons in the various disarmament schemes without a murmur. But despite this, many feel they have not reaped many benefits for their good behavior.

All of the president’s Hazara nominees for Cabinet posts have been rejected by the parliament on three separate occasions; a clash over grazing rights between ethnic Hazara settlers and nomadic Kuchis in Wardak province has also made the people of Bamian angry. Many felt that Kabul did not try hard enough to regulate the conflict, which resulted in dozens dead and scores displaced.

In addition, increasing talk about negotiations with the Taliban has made many Hazaras nervous; the Pashtun-dominated Taliban had a notoriously brutal relationship with the Hazaras during their five-year reign in Afghanistan.

“There has not been a single bullet fired in central Afghanistan – particularly Bamian – since the collapse of the Taliban regime,” said Abdullah Rezai, 26, a resident of Bamian. “The people of the province have supported the government to the best of their ability. Bu what have they gained for all of this? The government supported the Kuchis when they attacked our people in the central provinces. Nine years ago our people handed over their weapons to the government unconditionally, but we have received almost no reconstruction or development. Our nominees for the Cabinet were all rejected by the Parliament.”

It all boils down to minimal participation in the parliamentary elections, say analysts.

Ismail Zaki head of the Human Rights and Civil Society Network in Central Afghanistan, believes that recent political events as well as the lack of follow-through on past promises by the current MPs have negatively affected the attitudes of Bamian’s voters.
 
“Involving the Taliban in power, rejecting our nominees for minister, and Karzai’s failure to fulfill his promises to the Hazara people have had a bad influence,” he said. “People are not going to participate very much in these next elections.”