KABUL - Ján Kubiš was appointed the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in late 2011.

A Slovak national, Mr. Kubiš has more than three decades of experience in diplomacy, foreign security policy and international economic relations. He served as his country’s foreign minister from 2006 to 2009, and has also held the posts of chairman of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

UNAMA’s United Nations Security Council mandate centres around support for Afghan-led political processes, human rights, and promotion of development coherence. Specifically on elections, this includes support for the inclusiveness, integrity and sustainability of what is an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led process and ensuring coherence in international assistance. At the request of Afghan authorities, the United Nations Development Programme provides technical assistance. With the landmark Presidential and Provincial Council elections to be held on 5 April, the envoy spoke about the process.

UNAMA: From a historical perspective, both recent and going back further, where do you see the Presidential election in that context? What’s its importance for Afghanistan?

Ján Kubiš: I believe that this election is a hallmark of past achievements as well as a very important event that would help pave the way towards the future. For Afghanistan, it is a historic transfer of power from one elected president to another elected president. For me, this is a major achievement of the Afghan people and of the democratic system of Afghanistan – I am looking forward to elections. It is both a promise and a heavy responsibility for the authorities and institutions of Afghanistan. It is also the responsibility of the people of Afghanistan to vote and I hope that they will use that right.

UNAMA: How satisfied are you with the preparations for the Presidential elections? 

Ján Kubiš: I would say that the preparations are much better than at any time before over the past 12 years. This is not only my assessment – my two years here would not be enough for me to make such a statement – this is the opinion of experts who have been engaged in Afghanistan during the past two election cycles.

That is why it is very reassuring when they say that the preparations and the electoral framework is much better, that the legal framework is in place, that the technical preparations are much better and that the security plan is much more developed than before. On top of everything, it is obvious that the people of Afghanistan are full of energy and would go and vote. For me, this is perhaps a demonstration of their confidence that indeed the conditions will be there for them to vote.

UNAMA: What about the security arrangements for the elections? Are you satisfied that they will be conducive to voter participation? 

Ján Kubiš: I would say that at this point of time, yes. Of course we know what the security situation in the country is like. It is not simple. Although in this process of transitioning the responsibility for security to the Afghan National Security Forces we have seen a lot of successes, there have also been setbacks and problematic developments. We cannot expect miracles between now and the elections.

So yes, the security situation will be sometimes be challenging but it should be sufficient for the majority of the people to cast their vote and for the majority of the polling stations to be open and accessible for those that would wish to vote. I believe that I see real progress there as well. For months now the respective Afghan security institutions have cooperated and coordinated very closely. They constantly review the situation and, at this point in time, I am rather confident that the (security) conditions will be there for the people to go and vote.

UNAMA: In terms of candidates and the number of registered voters, what are your thoughts on the participation of women in these elections? 

Ján Kubiš: I would say, first of all, that we should never forget that women represent perhaps more than 50 per cent of the eligible voters and 50 per cent of the population. How could you think that you could have good elections without the strong participation of the women of the country?

I was very happy to see that the Independent Election Commission, from the very beginning, decided to place special attention to the rights of women and to create the required conditions for them. I am also happy that when we talk about security arrangements – including that of the polling stations – they are taking into account Afghanistan’s culture, tradition and religion and, on that basis, they are preparing the right conditions for women to participate. It is, for example, things like providing special polling stations for women or identifying female searchers that would help ensure security and also women’s access to polling stations without any problems.

From the point of view of voter registration, in relation to the top-up registration process, I was encouraged to see that approximately 33 per cent of newly-registered voters are women. From that perspective, I would like to see more women involved. But even this in itself is not a bad result at all given security conditions and perhaps some traditions that might stand in the way of more pronounced participation of women.

I see this as a good step in a process because building democracy is a process, and elections are a process as well. We cannot prescribe or decree that the people take part in elections. It is a process which includes voter education and then instilling enough confidence in the people to help them feel sure that they can go and vote, including that women can go and vote in conditions that respect the traditions of the country.

UNAMA: What sort of mood have you sensed from the Afghan public towards the Presidential elections? 

Ján Kubiš: We see a lot of hope when colleagues speak with Afghans, and also when we exchange opinions with foreign embassies. People are politically active and interested in the elections.

I remember my own meetings in different parts of the country. Even a year and half ago people were asking me about election preparations – how the UN can assist as well as the international community. People were delivering very clear statements: “we would like to have the elections, we would like to have fair and free elections, we would like to have elections without fraud. This is our right and we would like to have this right in the conditions which allow us to implement them.”

So I would say that I am encouraged. Of course we will also see in the elections campaign period how the candidates will be able to get the attention and engagement of the people. I would say that we have very strong interest from the majority of the people in the country in regard to participation in the election. This is also something we have seen in different opinion polls on the mood of the people, not only recently but over the past year as well.

UNAMA: You have met over recent weeks with senior officials from neighbouring countries and the wider international community. What are you hearing from them in relation to the Presidential elections? 

Ján Kubiš: I believe that they share the same attitude and opinion as the people of Afghanistan: that election is a critical development in the life of the country. They see the criticality of the election for the future stability of the country. They also consider this from the perspective of adding new elements that would then help pave the way for the stable and prosperous development of Afghanistan as part of regional cooperation arrangements.

They also very much hope that the elections will bring a new leadership to the country that would be able to become good partner, a strong partner with the necessary degree of legitimacy and support of the people and with whom they will be able to cooperate – and cooperate in a real way, not only politically but also with regard to economic development. They have a lot of plans on how they would continue working and enhancing their cooperation with Afghanistan in the future, starting from trade facilitation, economic cooperation and infrastructure and energy-related projects, etc.

So I believe that they take this as a very strong opportunity and pledge to continue working with Afghanistan, while also looking forward to working with the new government of Afghanistan.

UNAMA: What would you expect from Afghanistan’s new leader? 

Ján Kubiš: First of all, before elections there are pledges, slogans, programmes, promises and so on. But they [candidates] should not only come out with slogans. They should honour their slogans and programmes in real life. I would say that I hope that their programmes reflect the wishes of the people and we know what the wishes of the people are: security, justice, the fight against corruption and nepotism, development, healthcare, education, jobs, the fight against poverty, and stable and equal relations with neighbours, as well as a strong and united Afghanistan.

The candidates need to be serious with regard to pledges and their implementation – this is what, I believe, we should not only wish for, but we should even commit the candidates to. In the process of elections, there are sometimes more slogans and less willingness to implement them. I hope that this will not be the case here in Afghanistan in regard to the future leadership of the country.

UNAMA: What is your message to those standing for President? 

Ján Kubiš: It’s always a competition and there can be only one winner. But there should be no losers in this competition. In a way all of those – and it does not matter whether they are on the winning side or on the losing side – should work together before the election to deliver a good election as well as after the election, when they should help the country to be stable, to go ahead and prosper based on their support for the newly-elected leadership.

They should all support and pledge to work with the newly-elected leadership, to commit their knowledge and expertise to building a new Afghanistan after the election, for the sake of stable, prosperous and united country.

UNAMA: What is your message to the people of Afghanistan in relation to the Presidential elections? 

Ján Kubiš: Use your right, go and vote. This is indeed the most important thing at this point of time. If you would not vote under whatever circumstances, and sometimes perhaps for good reasons would decide that it is not good for you to go and vote, then you cannot be replaced [at the polling stations]. Voting is also the way how you [voters] pass a message to the new leadership: here we are, we gave you our support, now you must listen to our wishes. Remember, the higher participation, the stronger the voice of the people. What is important is not only to select the leaders but also to tell them what they should do after the elections.

Related article:

- INTERVIEW: Deputy UNAMA chief says upcoming elections are critical for Afghanistan’s future