Commending the Government of Afghanistan for certifying the results of the national election held on April 5, 2014, and urging the Government of Afghanistan to continue to pursue a “transparent, credible, and inclusive” run-off presidential election on June 14, 2014, while ensuring the safety of voters and candidates.

commends the Government of Afghanistan for holding the first round of a presidential election on April 5, 2014, and for preparing for the peaceful transition to a new government, in accordance with the rule of law;

encourages the Government of Afghanistan to continue to pursue the standard of “transparent, credible, and inclusive” for the constitutionally required run-off presidential election to be held on June 14, 2014;

supports the mandate of Afghan electoral bodies such as the Independent Election Commission and Elections Complaints Commission to administer, adjudicate, and manage polls, as well as oversee logistical and technical preparations in a transparent, fair, and credible manner to prevent fraud and misconduct;

encourages the Government of Afghanistan to implement measures that will increase voter participation—particularly among the Afghan female population, and salutes the bravery of the citizenry in facing violence, and even death, to exercise their holy right to vote and determine their own destiny;

encourages, on the other hand, the Government of Afghanistan to not use security as an excuse to shut down polling sites where there are minimal security threats, at the expense of some candidates and to the benefit of others;

encourages all elements of Afghan society, not just the recognized insurgency, to restrain themselves and their supporters from fomenting violence and other disturbances in voting areas;

advises, in the strongest terms, that the Ministry of Communications leave texting capabilities functional on election day;

commends the Afghan Government for reducing the number of casualties experienced on election day, and urges the ANSF to continue to make every necessary effort to ensure the safety of voters and candidates during the June 14, 2014, presidential run-off, including greater coordination between NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (“ISAF”) and ANSF forces when deploying troops to protect vote-counters, members of the IEC and IECC, and members of international organizations dedicated to, and engaged in, election monitoring;

solemnly remembers those members of the ANSF who gave their lives protecting their democracy on April 5, 2014, and honors those servicemembers from United States, coalition, and Afghan forces who have been killed or injured since October 2001 in defense of the democratic rights of the Afghan people;

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 monitors;

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 people, leading to broad acceptance;

recommends a pause in the drawdown of United States and ISAF security, intelligence, and diplomatic assets until June 14, 2014;

recognizes the substantial investments made by United States taxpayers in support of stability, democracy, and the rule of law in Afghanistan, including efforts to end public corruption;

reaffirms the policy position of the United States that “successful political transition is an essential prerequisite for sustainable security” in Afghanistan, and legitimate governance is important to ensuring its long-term stability; and

concurs in the United States Senate’s urging of the U.S. 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 process.