Farid Hamidi said on Sunday the culture of impunity will not be tolerated with regards to officials committing any type of electoral fraud. The Attorney General of Afghanistan (AGO) on Sunday announced that legal and judicial institutions will investigate offensives committed by electoral commission officials and that no individuals will be exempt from the law if found guilty of violating the law.
The AGO, Farid Hamidi, said the culture of impunity ends immediately with regards to electoral offences and investigations will be conducted transparently and free of bias and political influence.
This comes ahead of an expected appearance before the upper house of parliament on Tuesday by Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials who will have to respond to questions senators have.
Meanwhile, Sunday saw the opening of the 8th South Asian Election Leadership and Management Conference in Kabul. The summit is being attended by delegates from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) where they will discuss challenges in the way of elections among member nations.
Addressing the delegates, Hamidi said: “Electoral offences in the election process will be investigated by the legal and judicial institutions. We will put an end to the culture of impunity when it comes to election offences.”
Hamidi also pledged that all assessments by the AGO would be non-political.
“Currently our attorneys are being trained; we have started work to boost the capacity and assure the people that all investigations will be independent, impartial and broad-based,” added Hamidi.
Meanwhile, the chairman of the election commission has expressed hope that the two-day conference will help the election management body to resolve some challenges facing them regarding elections.
“This conference is not only aimed to share our views, but at the conference we will discuss all aspects of elections and technical issues facing the elections so that we can find a solution,” said IEC chief Najibullah Ahmadzai.
Senators Troubled By Sidelining Of Some IEC Commissioners
Meshrano Jirga senators meanwhile raised concerns on Saturday over remarks by a commissioner regarding secret decisions being taken by the IEC and the sidelining of some commissioners.
IEC commissioner Ma’azullah Dawlati on Friday told TOLOnews that many decisions by the commission were being taken by four members who failed to consult the other three commissioners.
A recent document seen by TOLOnews also reveals that there are serious disagreements between members of the IEC over the utilization of previous voting cards to determine the age of voters in the elections.
But, members of the IEC have expressed hope that these internal rifts would not affect the election process.
“In every institution there are different views, but these disagreements are not too serious to create obstructions in the way of the election process,” said IEC member Mazullah Dawlati.
A recent issue also emerged over the controversial process used to purchase IEC’s technical and electoral equipment.
Following the controversy, a member of the IEC’s leadership claimed decisions by the election commission were being taken by four individuals in secret.
The Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) is expected to summon the IEC officials to answer questions, specifically on the progress being made regarding the election process.
“We will summon members of the independent election commission on Tuesday and will see” what progress has been made, said senate chairman Fazel Hadi Muslimyar.