Last week’s parliamentary election in Afghanistan is being hailed as a success. Nearly four million Afghans voted over two days on Oct. 20 and 21, defying violence — both threatened and real — by the Taliban, and ignoring the usual accusations of electoral fraud.

One serious issue, however, is rarely raised in discussions of Afghan elections: The common practice of buying and selling votes.

Many Afghans are ready to sell their votes to the highest bidder, a corrupt practice that represents the greatest threat to Afghan democracy and the rule of law, and must be addressed in the near future.

Trading in votes is, of course, illegal, but many Afghans do not see it that way. Whether wealthy or poor, they take the view that their votes are theirs to do with as they please, and votes are shamelessly bought and sold at polling stations with no attempt at concealment.

In these circumstances, conducting an election at all in Afghanistan may be considered an achievement in itself. The results of the most recent vote will not be known until next month, but it would be a pity if those results were determined by how much money the candidates were prepared to spend.

Before each election, every Afghan needs to be made more aware of the importance of their own votes. How can a nation expect to change for the better when its own people think so little of their democracy that it can be bought and sold, and appear not to care who represents them in parliament or as president?

One serious issue that is rarely raised in discussions of Afghan elections is the common practice of buying and selling votes.

Camelia Entekhabifard

With these problems inherent in Afghanistan’s democracy, and the growing frustrations among the international community and major donors, Afghanistan could remain the biggest challenge in the region for many years to come.

No matter how many US troops come to support the Afghan forces in their war against the Taliban insurgency and the growing threat from Daesh, these efforts cannot succeed when the nation is not united in support of its own democracy.

Now that the parliamentary election is over, attention turns to Afghanistan’s next presidential election, scheduled for April 2019. But with all these negative electoral experiences, when there is no culture of respect for the democratic process, what confidence can the world have in that vote in six months’ time?

Before every election, Afghanistan needs a program of public education and enlightenment on the importance of the honesty and transparency of the democratic process, and the significance of every vote.

It is important for Afghans to understand that no one can bring change to their country unless they first change themselves. If Afghans are tired of this apparently endless cycle of violence and corruption, they have to take the initiative. A good start would be not selling their votes.

  • Camelia Entekhabifard is an Iranian-American journalist, political commentator and author of Camelia: Save Yourself By Telling the Truth (Seven Stories Press, 2008). Twitter: @CameliaFard