September 14, Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Martin Kobler and other guests paid an official visit to the camp of the Lithuanian-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-11) in Ghor province of Afghanistan.
Guests met with Commander PRT-11 Col Gintaras Smaliukas, Civilian Head of PRT-11 Linas Linkevičius, Development Advisor of Lithuania Evaldas Galvanauskas, civilian personnel of USA and Japan working with the PRT, and representatives of the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) team.
Civilian Head of the PRT L. Linkevičius presented to the guests the course of preparations for elections to the Lower House of Parliament of Afghanistan due on September 18, information about candidates from Ghor province, number of electoral centers and electoral districts in the province, explained reasons why a part of them were closed, and shed some light on preparations of local Government for the upcoming elections.
Around 300 electoral district less will be opened in Ghor province during the Parliamentary elections in comparison to the number opened before the Presidential and provincial councils' elections held last year. Ministry of the Interior of Afghanistan passed a decision to open only 549 electoral districts in Ghor on the day of elections on the basis of recommendations by Afghanistan National Security Forces (ANSF) regarding security situation in Ghor and Afghanistan.
„The decision to cut down on the number of electoral districts was adopted by the country's government. This is Afghanistan, so it is not likely that we would escape fraud, corruption or cases of attacks. Our joint effort must ensure that Parliamentary elections would proceed as fluently and safely as possible", said Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA M. Kobler.
In the meeting with the PRT Civilian Representative L. Linkevičius, M. Kobler also addressed possibilities of exchanging information related to the elections.
Commander PRT-11 Col G. Smaliukas presented to the guests security situation in Ghor, and threats expected on the day of Parliamentary elections and afterwards. According to Commander PRT-11, ANSF together with NATO's ISAF pay a lot of attention to ensuring security during the elections.
„We do a thorough preparatory work before the elections. We analysed the course of elections for the President's post and provincial councils that took place last year. We exchange information with superior ISAF commands on a permanent basis. We will attempt within our scope that during these elections Afghan people would be able to fulfill civil duty as freely and safely as possible", said Commander PRT-11 Col G. Smaliukas and added that ANSF will ensure security in the entire country and Ghor province throughout the electoral period. Additional ANSF units were deployed in Ghor to that end.
Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA) is expected to send in around 220 observers to Ghor on the day of elections. Candidates to the Parliament also plan to delegate observers - up to 5 thousand observers are expected to follow fair course of elections in Ghor.
The total of 2 545 candidates (410 of them women) run for the seats of the Lower House of Parliament in the elections Afghanistan for the first time organises without any help form the international community. Candidates will stand for 249 positions on the Parliament. 39 candidates are registered in Ghor. Six members will be elected to the Parliament from Ghor - 4 men and 2 women. Five members of the Parliament from Ghor province that were elected last year candidate for Parliamentary seats in the 2010 elections.
UNAMA is an international civil mission operating under the UN Security Council's mandate and in charge of coordination of Afghanistan's reconstruction and development work. Central bureau of the mission is located in Kabul. There are regional and provincial bureaus nearly in all the provinces of the country. UNAMA began its mission in Ghor in 2007.
The Lithuanian-led PRT in Ghor is a joint civilian-military mission, a part of NATO's ISAF, that was launched in Ghor in summer of 2005. The main task of the mission is to help Government of Afghanistan to extend authority in the province, ensure security and create environment for provincial reconstruction. Prerequisites for the allied forces deployed in Afghanistan to finish the mission will be provided as soon as the country's National Security Forces are able to ensure security of the country and its people independently. In the present period major attention is paid to the projects of training and preparation of Afghan National Security Forces in the framework of the new NATO ISAF strategy in Afghanistan.
Ghor, located in the central part of Afghanistan, is one of the safest provinces because of its geographical position and underdeveloped infrastructure. However, security situation in Ghor is described as relatively safe. Insurgent movement is sometimes spotted there as Ghor has borders with southern provinces guarded by additional huge deployment of allied forces since the beginning of 2010.
At the moment the 11th rotation of the Lithuanian-led PRT serve in Afghanistan, the shift is based on the Lithuanian Grand Duke Kęstutis Motorised Infantry Battalion located in Tauragės Distr. Kęstutis Battalion provides personnel for the PRT mission for a second time. The majority of personnel in the shift have been deployed to multinational missions in the Balkans, Iraq and Afghanistan previously.
Representatives of Denmark, Georgia, Japan, USA, Poland, Finland and Ukraine serve together with Lithuanian military and civilian personnel in Ghor PRT camp in Chaghcharan.
PIO for PRT-11 Capt Darius Toleikis
Pictures by D. Toleikis - first row (from right) Commander PRT-11 Col G. Smaliukas, Deputy Special Representative of UNAMA Martin Kobler, Civilian Head of the PRT L. Linkevičius.
