Sylvia's Journal

Thousands of people have registered for the parliamentary elections. Small hand bills and enormous bill boards are covering all the surfaces in the city and lining the roads.

Each candidate has a small white box on their poster that contains one or more images. There is the one desk candidate and the three desk candidate, a one key and three key candidate. There are countless images, single ones, pairs, threesomes and foursomes. Some images I cannot identify.

At first I thought the candidates had selected their own image (to help the illiterate voters) and wondered, what might be the symbolism behind the image of 3 desks, or a horse? But then I was told that these images are random and have no connection to the candidate’s platform. Our Dari teacher told us they were drawn from a hat.

Still it is fun to imagine how candidates may incorporate their symbol in their speeches (I am for people sitting at desks, or my actions will be implemented with the speed of a horse, or I will open doors with this key or govern by the book (or The Book?), or replace the hurricane lamp with electricity.)

Each candidate also has a number, for those voters who can remember numbers but not the images. In addition to the images and the numbers and names of the candidates, there are of course the pictures. Some candidates are smiling, others are serious; there are candidates in western or traditional outfits, with hats or without hats. All the female candidates wear scarves, some showing a little more hair than others, but all are covered.

The elections are on September 18 although there are calls to postpone them. There are candidates who the Independent Election Committee thinks are criminals and they are banned; this then triggers protest marches by their people. It is a complicated business, voting in Afghanistan and I cannot imagine the difficulties and dangers for those who are trying to get people to follow the rules. There are too many variables and factors that cannot be controlled. But someone has to do it and I admire these brave souls, Afghans and foreigners alike.

Later. When I was googling Afghan parliamentary elections, to get the date, I discovered that there is an Afghan Parliament group on facebook. I found the Afghan Parliament group easily. It is classified as ‘student organization.’ It has about 45 friends and some pretty good pictures of the parliament in action. I don’t think the Afghan government knows about it and I don’t think I am going to befriend it just yet.