Full Report: Survey on the 2019 Presidential Election

Elections are the easiest, cheapest, and most commonly employed means for facilitating people’s political participation in a country. Citizens’ meaningful participation in political processes holds a clear indication of democratic sustainability in a society. Elections are characterized by their ability to transfer authority and power from one party to another with peace and harmony; however, in its absence, serious political problems and challenges may be aroused. Therefore, citizens’ meaningful participation in elections is one of the key attributes and cornerstone of all truly democratic societies.
Experiencing 6 rounds of elections has not been enough to address the challenges and gaps in this important process, which is why after each election citizens have lost their trust and confidence because of serious upsurge in electoral fraud and violation. The incumbent Afghan government along with the international community and election management bodies have failed miserably to restore citizens’ trust in the process.

TEFA with the help of its 47 provincial partners, over a course of 3 months, conducted a nationwide survey on the coming 2019 elections to capture and share a clear picture of citizens’ will on whether or not they are to take part in the coming election and to whom they are planning to vote. The results of this survey are legitimate and justifiable, and therefore must be considered by all afghan election stakeholders mainly the incumbent Afghan government, international community, EMBs, and presidential candidates. It is worth mentioning that this is the first survey for the 2019 election, and once the results of it circulate thoroughly, TEFA will then conduct a second survey to see if people’s perceptions have changed after the campaign period.