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EU vows aid if elections go to 2nd round

EU vows aid if elections go to 2nd round

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8 May 2014 - 16:40
EU vows aid if elections go to 2nd round
author avatar
8 May 2014 - 16:40

KABUL with financial and technical support if the presidential election went to the second round.

EU Special Representative Ambassador Franz-Michael Mellbin, speaking at a Europe Day event in Kabul, said they would assist Afghanistan in the run-off vote, just as it helped the first-round election.

“So far it’s unclear whether or not the polls will go to the second round. If they do, we are ready to provide assistance,” the diplomat promised. Should the run-off vote become inevitable, the stay of EU observers will be extended.

Europe Day is an annual day of celebration of peace and unity in the 28 member nations and around the world. The EU Delegation in Afghanistan dedicated Europe Day to celebrate the children of Afghanistan and invited about 300 school students to participate.

“Afghan children are important. Half of all Afghans are under 15 years old. With well over 13 million young Afghans, this group deserves genuine political attention,” Mellbin remarked.

“Children are not voters; they have little or no voice in the public debate and no one to represent them. One could be led to believe that investing in children doesn’t pay off. This is not true. The current and coming leaders of Afghanistan should push harder to safeguard the interests of the nation’s future.”

The drafting of the much-needed Child Act has been announced for this year. The swift adoption of this law would show how much attention the president, the parliament and the government paying to Afghanistan’s children, he added.

Eleven-year-old Maryam Rasikh, a student who took part in the event, stressed the need for peace and security was essential if Afghanistan wanted to join advanced nations. “We want the incoming president to give us peace.”

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