Yellowknife (May 10/04) - Former Yellowknifer Kit Spence will be travelling to Afghanistan later this month to help prepare for the country's coming election.

"I'm nervous about going into such a strange environment," Spence said. But nevertheless, he feels an obligation to help.

He is working with the non-profit National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, based out of Washington, D.C. Spence will focus on helping Afghanistan's citizens form political parties for the election in September.

Afghanistan passed a constitution last December that will govern the election. It was originally planned for June, but has been pushed back to September, says Spence.

"There are still areas of the country that are not controlled by UN forces or the government," Spence said. "It takes some time to disarm the population."

In the "stable" zones

Spence only plans on travelling to stable areas of the country. He hopes to work directly with the citizens, not just officials.

"(We will) go back to first principles and what it's all about," Spence said.

Afghanistan has been ravaged by war and has little history of democracy, said Spence.

"Participating in the political process is engrained in us," Spence said. "We sometimes forget how much we know."

Spence will be focusing on political party work, but more will be accomplished by the organization as a whole.

"Part of our objective is to encourage women to vote," Spence said.

The UN will help ensure the elections are fair, and peacekeepers will help uphold the results.

"Canadians are the lead NATO force in Afghanistan right now," Spence said.

Spence has been involved in politics his whole life, and feels being raised in the North was a valuable experience.

"I spent from '64 to '94 in the NWT in a period where it was evolving politically," Spence said. "I have that cross-cultural experience."

If things go according to plan, Spence expects to be back in Canada in September, after Afghanistan's election.