In Afghan election, corruption colors aims of many female candidates
| Kabul, Afghanistan
In a cynical reminder that Afghan politics is rarely what it seems, activists in Kabul question whether many female candidates running in Saturday鈥檚 parliamentary elections are actually champions of women's rights.
The record 386 women running for parliament is seen by many as one of the few clear-cut successes of an election campaign that has been marred by violence and fraud. Yet some women鈥檚 rights campaigners say that many of the female candidates are merely puppets for shadowy figures trying to garner influence in the new Afghan parliament.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite clear that there are many, many women who are running not because they have interests themselves, but to represent the interests of warlords and power brokers,鈥� says Nargis Nehan, director of Equality for Peace and Democracy, an Afghan nongovernmental organization.
鈥淭hose being supported by a bank, a warlord, a tribal leader, these are the people able to spend money,鈥� adds Wajma Frogh, a member of the Afghan Women鈥檚 Network, an NGO in Kabul. 鈥淚 know villagers who have sold their votes [to a female candidate] for $20. People will vote for her. Another very honest women鈥檚 rights activist is not able to pay $20 a vote. She鈥檚 not going to make it into parliament.鈥�
An age-old rhythm of patronage?
If Ms. Frogh, Ms. Nehan and others like them are right, it鈥檚 an uncomfortable truth for those trying to portray women鈥檚 participation in Afghanistan鈥檚 fledgling democracy as a beacon in an otherwise dark and stormy country. And the proliferation of proxy candidates represents a wider problem in Afghanistan 鈥� the country鈥檚 politics still beat to an age-old rhythm of patronage.
But not everyone says that competition between female candidates has been compromised. Samira Hamidi, an activist with the Afghan Women鈥檚 Network, strikes an optimistic note.
鈥淚 know some of the [female candidates] and I know there is no one behind them, no warlords, mafia, drug dealers. We鈥檝e been working closely with the election commission and people at the grassroots level and I haven鈥檛 heard anything,鈥� says Ms. Hamidi.
Instead, Hamidi says, the participation of a record number of women is due to growing political awareness among Afghans and the march of women鈥檚 rights across the country.
Still, says Frough, the corruption that runs through Afghanistan's political structure has also affected the new role of women in politics.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a patronage system,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ere democracy does not mean that people鈥檚 voices are important. Whoever is in power is in power because of coercion, because of someone else鈥檚 power鈥�. This parliament is only a check-the-box formality so the international community can say, 鈥榊eah, Afghanistan has a democracy.' "
Women's seats used to garner broader influence
Saturday鈥檚 election will simply reflect how power is disbursed across Afghanistan as a whole, she says. Although parliamentarians in Afghanistan don鈥檛 wield the influence they do in some countries, they do retain important powers, such as a veto on cabinet appointments and oversight of the government鈥檚 budget.
鈥淎lthough we have a very centralized government, there is still power in the parliament,鈥� say Nehan, the director of Equality for Peace and Democracy. 鈥淣ow everyone鈥檚 realized that they don鈥檛 want just one seat, they want as many as possible. The easiest and least challenging way of doing this is to fill the women鈥檚 seats because the competition between men is quite tough.鈥�
With 25 percent of the 249 available seats reserved for women and just 386 candidates contesting them, the women鈥檚 field is far less packed than the men鈥檚, where competition is about twice as fierce. Trying to exploit the women鈥檚 vote provides good value for money for patrons.
Proxy candidates entrench corruption
The problem with proxy candidates is that it entrenches the political corruption that has become a byword for Afghanistan.
鈥淭he country is already damaged and there is no room for more damage,鈥� says Shinkai Karokhail, a female member of parliament (MP) from Kabul. Most MPs, she claims, are 鈥渋n the service of others,鈥� while others are only 鈥渢hinking about their own pocket, how to empower their own group.鈥�
鈥淭he country is sinking because of corruption,鈥� she says, and every powerbroker wants 鈥渢o take advantage鈥� of the politicians they bankroll.
