A Nation’s Promise: Exercising the Right to Vote and Ensuring Constitutional Governance in Afghanistan

Speech at the Commencement of the 2018 Wolesi Jirga National Election Process

Keypoints: 

• Belief Over Doubt: Turning skepticism into a technical success led by Afghans.
• 122-Year Legacy: Honoring a century-old struggle for constitutional rule and sacrifice.
• A Sacred Trust: Defining the vote as an Amanat for the "House of the People."
• National Solidarity: Delaying the Kandahar vote by one week to respect public grief.
• Citizen’s Duty: Shifting from "Presidential decree" to the citizen's personal right.
• Legal Succession: Using the Constitution as the sole guarantor for transferring power.
• Inclusive Future: Vowing to set a specific election date for the historic province of Ghazni.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Great nation of Afghanistan! I congratulate you on this day. Today, disbelief has turned into belief; where there was doubt and hesitation, there is now certainty. Where there was criticism, today, Insha'Allah, it has turned into cooperation.

First, I wish to express my gratitude to the honorable members of the Independent Election Commission (IEC). According to the report provided by the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the UN Security Council, these have been the most successful technical arrangements made to date. I also thank the defense and security forces, especially the Afghan Air Force, who transported essential and non-essential materials to all corners of Afghanistan. Until yesterday evening, only the Mandol district of Nuristan remained, which Insha'Allah will be attended to this morning. This is a major success, achieved entirely by Afghans themselves. From this perspective, I congratulate and thank everyone.

I want to express my gratitude to the honorable candidates of the Wolesi Jirga—first for stepping forward as candidates, and second for participating in the electoral campaigns and mobilizing the people. This demonstrates a profound faith in the Constitution, which mandates that the people’s representatives be determined through free elections and the public vote. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your candidacy and for your belief in turning to the nation, allowing the people to decide on what basis they grant you their vote.

Specifically, I want to thank all my compatriots across Afghanistan. More than 8 million eligible citizens went to the centers, registered their names, and are ready today to determine the future of Afghanistan themselves.

A vote is a trust (Amanat) that we bestow. Based on that trust, we demand that every candidate implement the Constitution and our enacted laws. When they enter the "House of the Nation," they must truly represent the people. It is called the Wolesi Jirga (House of the People) precisely because it must represent the will of the people. It is necessary to have a clear social contract: every representative elected today must have a commitment to the Constitution, to the high interests of Afghanistan, and must stand firmly by all enacted laws, legislating what the people desire and what the country necessitates.

I also wish to remember today the martyrs of the path of freedom and the struggle against international terrorism. Our martyrs of freedom range from the candidates—the most recent being the late Mr. Qahraman—to the martyrs of the media family, the respected journalists, observers, and all civilians who participated extensively in this process. All of these are martyrs of the path of freedom. We also remember the martyrs of the fight against terrorism, most recently General Razeq and General Momin Husseinkhail [the Police and NDS chiefs of Kandahar].

Yesterday, based on a review by the National Security Council, I decided to promote General Razeq to the rank of Star General and General Momin to the rank of Dagar-General (Lieutenant General). They were martyrs in the struggle against international terrorism; they stood against it and defended this soil. May God grant them paradise, and I wish patience for their families and colleagues. Today, elections in Kandahar have been postponed for one week at the request of the people, but the IEC has made all arrangements to ensure they take place next week. A great sorrow befell Kandahar, and all of Afghanistan shares this grief as their own. We respected the views and the sorrow of the people. This decision was made by the Commission and the National Security Council according to the law, with the representation of the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, the head of the Constitutional Oversight Commission, and the speakers of both houses of Parliament. We want to ensure that, Insha'Allah, these elections will also be held on time.

The people of Ghazni are currently the only ones whose province is not holding elections today. However, Ustad Danesh, Engineer Mohammad Khan, and Mr. Baig are tasked with coordinating a date in consultation with the people of Ghazni. The election date must be set for this great province, which is the home of Islamic civilization and has always birthed heroes.

My final words: Today, I do not speak as President, but as a citizen. As one citizen to another—to every Afghan man and woman, young and old—I ask you to exercise this right today. Voting is both a right and an obligation (Wajiba). It is an obligation in the sense that if we do not exercise this right, it remains unused.

Finally, I want to invoke the name of the constitutionalists (Mashruta-khwahan) of Afghanistan from over 122 years ago. 122 years ago, the first constitutionalists were executed. There were others, like Mr. Wassif and the brave youth who were blown from the cannons of Dehmazang, and hundreds of Afghan thinkers like the late Anis who perished in prison. Individuals like Dr. Mahmoudi, the late Ghubar, Farhang, and other fighters of this country, the late Habibi—all were waiting for this day. This is not a dream that arrived in a single day or year; the nation of Afghanistan has always desired to resolve the issue of succession in the highest offices of the country through their own vote. Our Constitution today is the guarantor that the transition of leadership at the highest levels of government and elective institutions happens based on the will of the people.

I wish for the success of these elections. Our promise—with the Commission’s permission—is that the Presidential election will likewise be conducted on time and with every effort, so that the nation of Afghanistan may determine its own future.