The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Saturday said the commission will possibly recount almost half of Kabul votes for making the process more transparent. 

Following October 20 and 21 parliamentary elections, the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) criticized the IEC over widespread fraud in parliamentary elections in Kabul and announced the votes invalid last year in December.

The move was criticized by the IEC as the commission labeled the decision illegal and a politically motivated. 

“There are around 300 polling stations which all their votes should be audited. In the audit process, observers from the electoral complaints commission, parties and political streams will be present,” said Zabihullah Sadat, deputy spokesman for IEC. 

The IECC meanwhile said it will include its observers in the recounting process if it is aimed at bringing more transparency.

“We can participate in the recounting process. If there is documents and necessary evidence and also if the recounting process transparency is ensured,” the IECC spokesman Ali Reza Rouhani said. 

Some electoral monitoring organizations and political parties, who gathered at a ceremony in Kabul on Saturday, said the recounting of Kabul votes was full of fraud. 

“Unfortunately, the election commission prepared result sheets for empty ballot boxes which are kept in its storages,” said Saifurrahman Habibi, an election observer.

“All the observers of political parties have reached to the point that in the current situation Kabul elections have serious problems which cannot be corrected,” said Bazgul Sadat, an election observer. 

Based on the parliamentary elections schedule, the election commission should have announced the preliminary results of election on November 10 and the final results on December 11, 2018. However, so far the election commission has failed to announce the preliminary results of all provinces.