Afghanistan June-August 2014
On 14 June 2014 Afghanistan conducted the second round of the presidential elections which lead to a serious political crisis as one contender did not accept the result due to sever irregularities. The stalemate finally was overcome through a partial audit and recount of several million of votes in July/August 2014 which opened the avenue for a political settlement.
Let me take the opportunity to share with you some images showing Kabul as well as field missions to the south and the north of the country. The field missions served the purpose to meet the election administration and other stakeholders in order to familiarize with challenges to the election process. Due to security reasons these missions had to be conducted by helicopter which – from a photographic perspective - gives you ”the bigger picture” but leaves less possibility to concentrate on details.
If you click on Afghanistan June 2014 in the following link https://plus.google.com/photos/103945442053805877863/album/6025247672616653745/6025247948947680162 you will find pictures showing:
Kabul from the air: with and without sandstorm.
Street images Kabul: Anti-drug posters; campaign posters (Abdullah Abdullah, Ashraf Ghani).
Run-off election preparation: transport of election material; IEC press conference 14 June; results retrieval (on polling day we were on lock-down due to security concerns; therefore no pictures showing the polling L)
Field mission to Gardez: There are no women on the street as Gardez is a very traditional province where women are rarely allowed by men to leave their house. Recount of ballot papers of the first round presidential election.
Field mission to Ghazni: Taliban ambush on a fuel convoy on the road Wardak-Ghazni; military base.
Field mission to Kandahar
Field mission to Mazhar, Jawzjan and Faryab province: Blue Mosque; Agha Khan Development Network conservation project for several mosques in Balkh; remnants of the more than 2,500 year old Persian city of Balkh (which was conquered by Alexander the Great and later by Genghis Khan).
Partial audit and recount of several million votes
