News (Consolidated) - UNSOM

2 August 2009 - As the final weeks approach for the 20 August presidential and provincial council elections the massive logistical operation behind organizing the polls is becoming clear. A two step plan has been formulated…

28 July 2009 - On 20 August Afghanistan will hold elections for President and provincial council members. This is the second time Afghans will go to the polls since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And preparations are in…

KABUL - A warehouse on the outskirts of Kabul was today the centre of attention as election workers packing ballot papers and boxes welcomed the UN’s top envoy in the country. Since the last A300 flight with 153,000…

30 July 2009 - Local Journalists and media in Bamyan have been trained to report on the polling and counting processes for the 20 August elections. The media development non-government organizations Internews Network and its…

KABUL - Provincial Council candidates in the eastern province of Kunar want both domestic and international observers to hit the ground as soon as possible. In an interview with UNAMA earlier this week, three provincial…

23 July 2009 - Some 120 European observers are joining thousands of Afghan observers for the forthcoming presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan on 20 August. The aim is to accomplish “the most difficult…

24 July 2009 - “Hello and good evening. I want to welcome you to the first presidential debate.” The words of television journalist Mujahid Kakar as he opened Afghanistan’s first ever televised presidential debate last night…

KABUL - It's examination season at Kabul's oldest and most venerable public university. Yet, the topic of conversation, among students, is hardly restricted to the realm of academics. Instead, along with algebra, pharmacy…

22 July 2009 - Afghanistan is headed towards a new beginning in its history. The elections due to take place in just a few weeks will not only determine the fate of the country for the next five years, but will also establish…

21 July 2009 - The Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) has disqualified two provincial council candidates from the provincial and presidential elections to be held on 20 August 2009. Grant Kippen, ECC Chairman, told a news…

15 July 2009 - The Security Council today welcomed the Afghan-led preparations for next month’s presidential and provincial council elections, and stressed the importance of “free, fair, transparent, credible, secure and…

KABUL - Afghanistan’s presidential and provincial council elections on 20 August are just one month away. Forty one presidential candidates, including two women and more than 3,000 provincial council candidates are…