Written question asked by Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 9 December 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 16 December 2003. It was answered by Hilary Benn (Labour) on Tuesday, 16 December 2003 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Dept for International Development

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the progress is of the UN programme for voter registration in Afghanistan. - Includes figures.

Answer: Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the progress is of the UN programme for voter registration in Afghanistan. [143936] Hilary Benn: On 1 December voter registration for the 2004 general election started in eight regional capitals (Kabul, Bamian, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif, Konduz, Kandahar, Heart and Gardez). Initial results indicated that the UN backed programme has proceeded smoothly with 21,370 voters, including 2,395 women registered to vote in the first week. The government, with the help of ISAF and the international coalition forces has taken measures to ensure security of the teams carrying out the registrations. Voter intimidation however, as well as the reluctance in rural areas to allow women to register, continues to be a major concern. The UN remains confident that they will meet their goal of registering 10 million Afghan voters.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 143936; 415 c828W
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Bullying Women Electoral register General elections Security United Nations Rural areas Afghanistan
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk