April elections sent promising signal, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan tells OSCE Permanent Council

Vienna, 30 April 2014 - The April 5 presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan demonstrated that the Afghan people had “rejected violence as a means of political transition and opted for a political process”, Ján Kubiš, the United Nations Special Representative for Afghanistan and Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), said in his address to the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 30 April 2014.

Describing his impressions after visiting polling stations across Afghanistan, Kubiš said the elections which took place despite threats from the Taliban signaled a major change in the Afghan society.

“The Afghan people once again proved all the sceptics wrong,” he said. “You must witness a situation like this to believe in the stamina, in the courage, in the endurance of the Afghan people.”

He also spoke about regional and international support to the country, which, he said, was crucial to fostering security and stability in Afghanistan and in the larger region, and expressed hope that international partners, including the OSCE, would reinforce their engagement. This could be done by supporting the electoral process and by implementing various development projects. OSCE operations in Central Asia were of particular importance in this regard, he added.

Kubiš also stressed the need to deliver on the promises to empower women in Afghanistan, adding that their active participation in the elections were a sign of positive change in this direction.

The OSCE Permanent Council is one of the main regular decision-making bodies of the Organization bringing together representatives of all 57 OSCE participating States. It convenes weekly in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and to make decisions.