By Xinhua,
Canberra : Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Saturday that his government will provide 5 million Australian dollars (3.4 million U.S. dollars) to support Afghanistan elections in the next year.
Of the funding, 3 million Australian dollars (2.04 million U.S. dollars) will go towards helping the United Nations and Afghanistan Independent Electoral Commission (AIEC) set up a national voter registration camp to sign up more than two million voters. The remaining 2 million dollars (1.36 million U.S. dollars) will be used for electoral education programs run by the AIEC and the Asia Foundation, which has been providing electoral guidance and support to the Afghan people since 2005.
“For the elections to be considered free, fair and credible, the international community needs to ensure that the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission is sufficiently resourced,” Rudd said in a statement.
“Ensuring there is broad and equitable participation by all Afghans, including women and displaced persons, is critically important for building the legitimacy and credibility of the election process,” the statement said.
Afghanistan will hold its presidential and provincial council elections in 2009, while parliamentary elections will be held in 2010.