KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Security officials in this treacherous, war-weary country are bracing for a rough ride as they work to reduce the risk of violence in the lead-up to next year's presidential election.
The country's Independent Electoral Commission is assisting the government of Afghanistan in co-ordinating the elections, including voter registration in advance of the national vote, scheduled to take place in August. A parliamentary vote takes place the following year.
Large billboards throughout Kandahar province urge ordinary Afghans to register for the chance to exercise their democratic franchise. But in a sprawling, dirt-poor country where the vast majority of people are uneducated and illiterate, the potential roadblocks appear almost insurmountable.
In Kandahar province and volatile Helmand to the west, the Taliban still enjoys a strong hold on the public psyche; for an insurgency deeply opposed to the Afghan government and its emissaries, a quiet and orderly election is not in the cards.
"I think the biggest concern is the average citizen will be coerced into not voting," said Lieut. (Navy) Brendan Ryan, from the Operations Co-ordination Centre Provincial in Kandahar city, attached to the palace of Kandahar Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi.
"They may become subject to acts of intimidation and violence to prevent them from going to the polling station and exercising their political right to vote."
Ryan and his team will provide advice and assistance to the Afghan National Security Forces in an effort to keep the peace in the region.
Grant Kippen, a Canadian and former chairman of the country's Electoral Complaints Commission, said the international community needs to take a greater role in protecting the legitimacy of an electoral process that, in many ways, failed to win over skeptical locals three years ago.
Security remains the biggest worry, but there are other underlying concerns as well, Kippen said, such as the candidate vetting process -- a vital element in a country still racked with violence, crime and corruption.
"If people who have links to illegal armed groups are allowed to run as candidates, then this will impact voter's perceptions about the credibility of the process -- as was the case in 2005," Kippen said in an interview.
"There is really no excuse for not coming up with a better process to address these concerns, as we have had 3-4 years where we should have worked out the modalities," he said. "The potential misuse of government resources in the process is another big concern."
Afghan district leaders are determined to make the process work.
"I know that the Taliban will try to stop registration and election, but we will not let them do it. We will keep going on with our work," said Haji Ahbdul Rahim, a prominent political leader in the battle-scarred district of Panjwaii.
"As matter of fact it is very important to have an election. It will be a big change for the people of Afghanistan, and we believe in change."
Ryan said voter registration and polling stations will be set up in the larger centres, while mobile polling stations will venture down Afghanistan's dusty and dangerous roads to service the more remote rural locations.
"Obviously people will be required to travel to vote, but they certainly are going to hit up the major population centres," he said.
Kippen admitted that while he's not an expert on the Taliban, "at this point in time it would be unlikely for them to take a pass" in trying to disrupt the proceedings.
As for concerns about getting Afghans to vote, similar discussions took place in both 2004 and 2005, he said.
"In the end, people turned out to vote across the country. My sense is that we are too far out in the process to actually predict whether or not people will vote, as that will be a last-minute decision based on a lot of different variables," Kippen said.
"But I think everyone understands that security will be an important factor influencing their decision."
Ryan said allowing Afghans to have a voice in the future of their country is essentially what the Canadian mission in Afghanistan is all about.
"I think what Canada is trying to accomplish in Afghanistan is giving every Afghan personal freedom, and included with that is the right to vote," he said.
"To choose their own government - they are taking charge of their own destiny."
