With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the National Democratic Institute conducted an international mission to Afghanistan to observe the 2014 presidential and provincial council elections. The mission provided an impartial assessment of the 2014 elections and demonstrated the international community’s continued support for advancing the democratic process in Afghanistan. Guided by the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Observers, NDI’s mission built on a pre-election assessment and involved long-term and short-term observers for the first and second presidential election rounds in 2014. It also mobilized observers for the comprehensive audit process. The 2014 electoral cycle tested reforms that Afghan institutions had earlier implemented to strengthen the country’s electoral process, and highlighted known and new challenges that need to be addressed before credible elections can be held in the future.