The FEFA observed 52 violations are compiled from reports of sixty-six provincial observers deployed to thirty four provinces (1). Their observations and FEFA’s assessments are informed by a thorough understanding of the legal statutes governing the campaign process which include: Afghanistan’s constitution, the electoral law, the Independent Election Commission’s specified procedures and guidelines as well as Presidential Decree No. 38 issued on 20 May 2009 on the impartiality of government employees and institutions in the campaign period. (111) violations. FEFA shared these findings with the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) and discussed it in several media events. The persistence of these violations is a result of the heated electoral environment as well as the lack of adequate enforcement of related laws and regulations through sanctions or other appropriate means. FEFA stresses that the remaining twelve days in the campaign process present an opportunity to gain public trust in the fairness and credibility of the upcoming elections. The FEFA observed 52 violations are compiled from reports of sixty-six provincial observers deployed to thirty four provinces (1). Their observations and FEFA’s assessments are informed by a thorough understanding of the legal statutes governing the campaign process which include: Afghanistan’s constitution, the electoral law, the Independent Election Commission’s specified procedures and guidelines as well as Presidential Decree No. 38 issued on 20 May 2009 on the impartiality of government employees and institutions in the campaign period. Nearly all of FEFA’s observed violations relate to Presidential Decree No. 38. In total, there were 51 reported instances that violated the decree and/or relevant bylaws through: abuse of government resources and official authority in support of one or several candidates; participation of government officials in electoral campaigns; and a lack of impartiality of government officials in the campaign process. Disregard for Presidential Decree No.38 is a persistent trend also observed in our report concerning the 16 June -16 July period. Our reports indicate violation of Decree No. 38 in instances favoring several candidates, with one candidate scoring the highest. Provinces with the most number of violations reported to FEFA in the current period were: Parwan (15 reported incidents), Khost (7 reported incidents), Ghazni (5 reported incidents), Paktia (5 reported incidents), Laghman (4 incidents.) FEFA has transmitted the details of these findings to the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC). The Evolving Security Environment The security trends during the 17 July to 3 August 2009 period —assessed from reports by FEFA’s provincial personnel—are worsening and worrisome. During the current eighteen day reporting period, FEFA observers have recorded at least twelve violent incidents directed at candidates, campaigners and election administration officials and facilities. Major election-related security incidents in the current period include: a high profile attack on a vice presidential candidate’s campaign convoy; kidnapping and/or assassination of at least three provincial council candidates; attacks on campaign offices in three provinces; an insurgent attack on one convoy transporting IEC training material; a deadly attack on another provincial representative of a campaign and numerous threatening “night letters” from insurgent groups. FEFA reports indicate that violent attacks on elections related facilities and activities are spread over a wide area and are isolated in nature. However, FEFA observers report an 6 August 2009 Intermediate Statement of Findings on the Elections Campaign The Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan uneasy environment in at least ten provinces, and severely challenging conditions for the Opening of polling stations in fourteen districts around the country. Measuring the success of any election rests on voter turnout, which is directly tied to the security environment surrounding electoral activities. Recent insurgent statements warning people against participation in the electoral process and of attacks on elections facilities is likely to impact public participation. The public needs confidence in the security measures in place and planned for voting day —and in the process in general. Improved measures are needed to ensure that violence lessens during the remaining days of the campaign and certainly for Election Day itself. In general, FEFA observers report skepticism in most parts of the country about the security of Election Day and the following period. Recent media coverage of insurgent threats of violence and the blocking of access to polling stations risks furthering that skepticism. Widely reported statements made by one campaign official to an Abu Dhabi based paper about the likelihood of street unrest in the event of their candidate’s defeat does not help create public confidence in the electoral process. Furthermore, the statement by the Interior Ministry wrongly attributing predictions of violent clashes on streets to a campaign official has created public concern. FEFA calls on security officials to take serious measures to enlist public confidence in the security of electoral process and the period after the elections. FEFA observers have reported that despite the growing enthusiasm for the electoral process, there exists significant public concern about the fairness of the elections. All campaigns should make a maximum effort to observe the rules in the best interests of the Afghan people and in their own self-interest. The winner of the 2009 elections will need a substantial measure of public trust in order to govern effectively and in the public interest once the election is over. 6 August 2009 ________________________________________ 1- The Capability of individual FEFA observers affect the comprehensiveness of this data. Certain provinces may have had irregularities that our Observers were unable to report during this period.