Surprise: Fraud Alleged in Afghan Elections

On Monday, just two days after the parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, reports that the polling process was corrupted by incidents of voting fraud had sparked an investigation, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Times:

The oversight panel that will investigate reports of electoral misconduct said it expected to receive about 3,000 complaints during a three-day reporting period. A final vote tally, which will reflect the resolution of those grievances, will take weeks.

Meanwhile, reports from election observers who visited polling places across the country depicted a flawed voting process rife with intimidation not only by the Taliban, but also by warlords and other armed factions. But some monitoring groups said the mere fact that the balloting had gone ahead despite threats and attacks was a positive sign.

“Afghanistan’s 2010 electoral process has demonstrated that millions of Afghans … are committed to ensuring that the nation’s government reflects the will of the people,” said the Washington-based National Democratic Institute, which fielded one of the largest foreign observer missions.

Read more