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IEC Suggests Delay In Provincial Councils Elections

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) in a consultative meeting with political parties, media, electoral monitoring organizations and civil society in Kabul on Friday proposed an outline for the upcoming presidential and provincial councils elections.

The election commission’s outline says that holding the presidential and provincial councils elections together will create challenges while holding them separately is also in contravention of the law but it suggests that holding the presidential polls separately will be better.  

IEC officials said if they hold the elections separately, the process will be more transparent and the commission will be able to manage the processeasily. 

IEC Chief Abdulbadi Sayyad said the suggestion has been made as the timeline for the presidential election is near and that the commission is too busy with the parliamentary elections affairs. 

“The option which is for the interest of the nation and the country will be considered after your consultation,” said Sayyad. 

“If we hold the provincial councils elections along with the presidential elections, then the registration process for registration of provincial councils elections candidates will also be launched and this will increase theload of the work,” said Wasima Badghisi, IEC’s operational deputy head. 

The election commission said the parliamentary elections in Ghazni province will be held on the same day with the presidential elections in April 2019.

Political parties and electoral monitoring institutions said holding the elections separately is in contravention of the law and that by making such a move the commission wants to prevent the convening of the Constitutional Loya Jirga, an assembly of elders to decide on amendment of the Constitution for changing the government system.    

“As they (election commission) has forgot the district councils’ elections, they want to forget the provincial councils elections as well. In this meeting, they were seeking ways to escape,” said Yusuf Rasheed, CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan. 

“There is a will that is not in favor of the completion of the pillars of the Loya Jirga. We want the commission to make clear its stance against the district councils’ elections and also it should hold the presidential elections together with the provincial council elections,” said Noor Rahman Akhlaqi, a senior member of Jamiat-e-Islami Party.

The political parties meanwhile stressed the need for transparency in the parliamentary elections’ future processes. 

“In the polling stations and centers where biometric devices are not used, fraud has been high and the parties have rejected those (votes),” said Mohammad Natiqi, head of the political committee of the political parties. 

“Votes should be counted based on biometric system,” said Abdullah Qaraloq, deputy head of the Islamic National Movement of Afghanistan. 

The election commission officials said the current biometric devices cannot meet the needs for holding a transparent election in the country and that this time they inevitably used the devices because there was no other option.

The election commission said after receiving the consultations they will make a decision on whether to hold the presidential election alone or along with the provincial councils elections. 

IEC Suggests Delay In Provincial Councils Elections

The IEC officials said it is better to hold presidential and provincial councils separately. 

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The Independent Election Commission (IEC) in a consultative meeting with political parties, media, electoral monitoring organizations and civil society in Kabul on Friday proposed an outline for the upcoming presidential and provincial councils elections.

The election commission’s outline says that holding the presidential and provincial councils elections together will create challenges while holding them separately is also in contravention of the law but it suggests that holding the presidential polls separately will be better.  

IEC officials said if they hold the elections separately, the process will be more transparent and the commission will be able to manage the processeasily. 

IEC Chief Abdulbadi Sayyad said the suggestion has been made as the timeline for the presidential election is near and that the commission is too busy with the parliamentary elections affairs. 

“The option which is for the interest of the nation and the country will be considered after your consultation,” said Sayyad. 

“If we hold the provincial councils elections along with the presidential elections, then the registration process for registration of provincial councils elections candidates will also be launched and this will increase theload of the work,” said Wasima Badghisi, IEC’s operational deputy head. 

The election commission said the parliamentary elections in Ghazni province will be held on the same day with the presidential elections in April 2019.

Political parties and electoral monitoring institutions said holding the elections separately is in contravention of the law and that by making such a move the commission wants to prevent the convening of the Constitutional Loya Jirga, an assembly of elders to decide on amendment of the Constitution for changing the government system.    

“As they (election commission) has forgot the district councils’ elections, they want to forget the provincial councils elections as well. In this meeting, they were seeking ways to escape,” said Yusuf Rasheed, CEO of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan. 

“There is a will that is not in favor of the completion of the pillars of the Loya Jirga. We want the commission to make clear its stance against the district councils’ elections and also it should hold the presidential elections together with the provincial council elections,” said Noor Rahman Akhlaqi, a senior member of Jamiat-e-Islami Party.

The political parties meanwhile stressed the need for transparency in the parliamentary elections’ future processes. 

“In the polling stations and centers where biometric devices are not used, fraud has been high and the parties have rejected those (votes),” said Mohammad Natiqi, head of the political committee of the political parties. 

“Votes should be counted based on biometric system,” said Abdullah Qaraloq, deputy head of the Islamic National Movement of Afghanistan. 

The election commission officials said the current biometric devices cannot meet the needs for holding a transparent election in the country and that this time they inevitably used the devices because there was no other option.

The election commission said after receiving the consultations they will make a decision on whether to hold the presidential election alone or along with the provincial councils elections. 

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