DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN: AN ASSESSMENT OF ELECTORAL PROCESS BEFORE TALIBAN 2.0

Abstract

In August 2021, the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. In expert circles, the second coming of the Taliban to power began to be designated as "Taliban 2.0." when analyzing the goals and policies of a new generation of Taliban seeking recognition and support from the world community. It is known that, in February 2020 in Doha, an agreement was reached between the United States and the Taliban to include the Taliban in power. It was about how many percent they would represent in the transitional (inclusive) government. Elections were supposed to be held, but the Taliban did not fulfill their promises, the Taliban seized power by force and established their regime. The Taliban government announced the rejection of democracy in the country, thereby putting a barrier to the prospects for the development of Afghanistan as a democratic state. To determine the reasons for the Taliban's "second coming" to power after 2001, it is necessary to understand why attempts to introduce democratic institutions in Afghanistan in the previous two decades were not fully implemented. The democratic electoral process during this period was associated with the confrontation of various political forces, large-scale corruption, violations, and falsification of elections. The situation was complicated by problems in the field of public safety. The socio-political governance of the country was not focused on the effective solution of security problems. The aim of the study is to understand democratic electoral procedures in Afghanistan and their impact on society by comparing presidential and parliamentary elections. Based on the analysis of electoral activity using quantitative methods, as well as qualitative methods (interviewing, interviewing experts), the features of parliamentary and presidential elections are considered.