Policy Paper: Traditional Elites between Bullets and Ballots

Successful elections and political transition in 2014 are crucial for the future relationship between Afghanistan and the international community.

Traditional elites are somewhat ambiguous regarding the elections. While their experience with past elections has been mostly negative, they are currently reactivating old networks in preparation for the 2014 elections.

Not all elections are equal. In contrast to previous elections, influential traditional elites in Khost and Paktia are presently putting their political and social capital behind presidential or parliamentary candidates, rather than local provincial council candidates.

However, provincial council elections do seem to present a platform for less well-known public figures and young civil society activists to increase their public visibility.