Young political party activists who received training through a pro-democracy initiative offer hope for effective elections in Afghanistan, according to a University of Mary Washington professor who recently spent 10 days in the country on a research and reporting trip. Ranjit Singh, associate professor of political science and international affairs, traveled to Kabul at the request of the U.S.-based National Democratic Institute (NDI). The nonprofit agency was winding up a 27-month program to support the role of political parties in Afghanistan. Singh interviewed nearly 40 members and leaders of various Afghan political parties to assess the effectiveness of the program, which ended in March. “Robust political parties are considered essential to modern democracies,” said Singh, an accredited international election observer who witnessed the Afghan presidential election of 2009 as part of a delegation of foreign policy experts. Singh sees benefits of the two-year NDI … [Read more...]