,,iv #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,,res4 #eia ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #ba1 #bjad ,mr4 ,grayson submitted the following resolution2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,armed ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,,resolution ,commending the ,government of ,afghanistan for certifying the results of the national election held on ,april #e1 #bjad1 and urging the ,government of ,afghanistan to continue to pursue a transparent1 credible1 and inclusive run-off presidential election on ,june #ad1 #bjad1 while ensuring the safety of voters and candidates4 ,whereas1 on ,may #aa1 #bjac1 in ,kabul1 ,afghanistan1 ,united ,states ,deputy ,secretary of ,state ,william ,burns stated3 a successful political transition is an essential prerequisite for sustainable security4 ,it is vitally important that the elections next ,april be transparent1 credible1 and inclusive42 ,whereas1 on ,july #i1 #bjac1 the ,united ,states ,senate unanimously agreed to ,s4 ,res4 #aea3 ,a resolution urging the ,government of ,afghanistan to ensure transparent and credible presidential and provincial elections in ,april #bjad by adhering to internationally accepted democratic standards1 establishing a transparent electoral process1 and ensuring security for voters and candidates42 ,whereas1 on ,april #e1 #bjad1 the ,government of ,afghanistan held the first round of a presidential election2 ,whereas1 on ,may #ae1 #bjad1 the ,independent ,election ,commission of ,afghanistan 7,,iec7 certified the results of the national election held #dj days prior1 and announced a run-off election date of ,june #ad1 #bjad1 for the two top presidential candidate vote recipients2 ,whereas voter participation increased from approximately #ce percent in the #bjji ,afghan presidential election to almost #fj percent for the election held on ,april #e1 #bjad1 and the percentage of newly registered female voters slightly increased2 ,whereas the #bjji ,afghan presidential election experienced low female voter turnout due to the insufficient number of female poll workers1 and the ,united ,nations ,development ,programme's ,law and ,order ,trust ,fund for ,afghanistan approved a ,ministry of ,interior request to fund the hiring of #ac1jjj female election security officers in order to bolster female voter turnout for the #bjad presidential election--but #dj out of ,afghanistan's #djg districts still did not have female election staff due to security concerns2 ,whereas #bg ,afghans were killed on election day in #bjji1 and #ag members of the ,afghan ,national ,security ,forces 7,,ansf7 were killed over the course of nearly #cjj insurgent attacks carried out during the election held on ,april #e1 #bjad2 ,whereas after the #bjji ,afghan presidential election1 the ,independent ,electoral ,complaints ,commission 7,,iecc7 ordered the results from #baj polling stations be invalidated1 and later1 after investigating #egi more polling stations quarantined by the ,,iec1 found that all but #ah of those should be excluded as well--and on ,may #ad1 #bjad1 the ,,iec1 based on ,,iecc decisions1 invalidated the results from #cca polling stations during the #bjad election and removed them from the final tabulation2 ,whereas1 to date1 #hji1cdi votes cast for the first place presidential candidate1 #afe1cci votes cast for the second place presidential candidate1 and #ci1eee votes cast for the third place presidential candidate during the ,june #ad1 #bjad1 election have been invalidated for fraud2 ,whereas there have been widespread reports of voter and election monitor intimidation1 as well as attempts to bribe members of the ,,iec1 the ,,iecc1 and other election monitoring organizations2 ,whereas vote counting by the ,,iec was performed behind closed doors instead of in front of international monitors1 and information was leaked to some candidates but not others2 ,whereas investigations by the ,,iecc1 and their coordination with the ,,iec1 have not been conducted in a transparent manner2 ,whereas the ,government of ,afghanistan eliminated text messaging capabilities the evening prior to the #bjad presidential election until #e3jj p4m4 on election day--greatly inhibiting monitoring efforts by international organizations--explaining that the decision was made in response to two candidates sending more than one million text messages during the silent period and to combat further advertising--an explanation denied by the ,chairman of the ,,iec who requested that texting capabilities be restored2 ,whereas members of the ,national ,democratic ,institute 7,,ndi7 were killed during an attack at the ,serena ,hotel in ,kabul on ,march #bj1 #bjad1 causing ,,ndi to remove significant numbers of staff from ,afghanistan and spreading fear among other monitors2 ,whereas a run-off date of ,june #ad1 #bjad1 means the snows will have melted across ,afghanistan1 allowing the ,taliban to move more freely1 leading to a greater chance of disruption during the run-off presidential election2 ,whereas some candidates1 and some campaign staff1 have proclaimed that should their opponents prevail1 ,afghanistan will be a less secure nation in which more civilians will die--thereby creating a climate that is not conducive to democratic transition2 ,whereas some polling places used the entirety of their allotted #fjj ballots in one to two hours leading some candidates1 or their representatives1 to call for more ballots--even though it is highly implausible that so many ballots could be exhausted in such a short time2 and ,whereas the ,united ,states contributed approximately #age million toward conducting the #bjji ,afghan presidential election1 and will contribute approximately #bjj million toward the #bjad ,afghan presidential election3 ,now1 therefore1 be it ,that the ,house of ,representatives-- 7#a7 commends the ,government of ,afghanistan for holding the first round of a presidential election on ,april #e1 #bjad1 and for preparing for the peaceful transition to a new government1 in accordance with the rule of law2 7#b7 encourages the ,government of ,afghanistan to continue to pursue the standard of transparent1 credible1 and inclusive for the constitutionally required run-off presidential election to be held on ,june #ad1 #bjad2 7#c7 supports the mandate of ,afghan electoral bodies such as the ,independent ,election ,commission and ,elections ,complaints ,commission to administer1 adjudicate1 and manage polls1 as well as oversee logistical and technical preparations in a transparent1 fair1 and credible manner to prevent fraud and misconduct2 7#d7 encourages the ,government of ,afghanistan to implement measures that will increase voter participation--particularly among the ,afghan female population1 and salutes the bravery of the citizenry in facing violence1 and even death1 to exercise their holy right to vote and determine their own destiny2 7#e7 encourages1 on the other hand1 the ,government of ,afghanistan to not use security as an excuse to shut down polling sites where there are minimal security threats1 at the expense of some candidates and to the benefit of others2 7#f7 encourages all elements of ,afghan society1 not just the recognized insurgency1 to restrain themselves and their supporters from fomenting violence and other disturbances in voting areas2 7#g7 advises1 in the strongest terms1 that the ,ministry of ,communications leave texting capabilities functional on election day2 7#h7 commends the ,afghan ,government for reducing the number of casualties experienced on election day1 and urges the ,,ansf to continue to make every necessary effort to ensure the safety of voters and candidates during the ,june #ad1 #bjad1 presidential run-off1 including greater coordination between ,,nato's ,international ,security ,assistance ,force 7,,isaf7 and ,,ansf forces when deploying troops to protect vote-counters1 members of the ,,iec and ,,iecc1 and members of international organizations dedicated to1 and engaged in1 election monitoring2 7#i7 solemnly remembers those members of the ,,ansf who gave their lives protecting their democracy on ,april #e1 #bjad1 and honors those servicemembers from ,united ,states1 coalition1 and ,afghan forces who have been killed or injured since ,october #bjja in defense of the democratic rights of the ,afghan people2 7#aj7 calls on the ,government of ,afghanistan to continue to combat instances of voter fraud and improve the transparency of the polling and counting processes--particularly by opening the processes of vote counting and complaint resolution to both candidate and international monitors2 7#aa7 supports the ,united ,nations mandate to use its offices to assist ,afghan electoral bodies and other stakeholders with technical preparations and the promotion of a timely and inclusive democratic process so that the results of the presidential run-off election will reflect the will of the people1 leading to broad acceptance2 7#ab7 recommends a pause in the drawdown of ,united ,states and ,,isaf security1 intelligence1 and diplomatic assets until ,june #ad1 #bjad2 7#ac7 recognizes the substantial investments made by ,united ,states taxpayers in support of stability1 democracy1 and the rule of law in ,afghanistan1 including efforts to end public corruption2 7#ad7 reaffirms the policy position of the ,united ,states that successful political transition is an essential prerequisite for sustainable security in ,afghanistan1 and legitimate governance is important to ensuring its long-term stability2 and 7#ae7 concurs in the ,united ,states ,senate's urging of the ,u4,s4 ,secretary of ,state to condition financial and logistical support for future ,afghanistan elections on the implementation of reforms that would increase female participation and combat fraud throughout the electoral process4