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New Heads Of Election Commissions Elected

As a first ever move in the country’s history, two women, Hawa Alam Nuristani and Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, were elected to run two main national institutions of Afghanistan – the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission. 

Hawa Alam Nuristani is a former MP. She has a bachelor’s degree in law. She got eight votes from 17 presidential candidates who voted for 81 applicants of election commissions’ post at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace on Friday, March 1.

During her career, Nuristani has worked as a TV presenter for the National Radio-Television, a clerk in Ministry of Women’s Affairs, member of the Wolesi Jirga, member of the High Peace Council, human rights commissioner and as member of the Oversight Commission on Access to Information. 

The seven members of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), meanwhile, elected Esmatullah Mal as deputy head of the commission and Musafir Qoqandi as secretary of the IEC, said Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the IEC. 

Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, who was elected as the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IEC), has a bachelor’s degree in law.

The new commissioners for the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission sworn in at a ceremony in Presidential Palace on Monday, a day after they were appointed to the posts by President Ashraf Ghani. 

The commissioners were elected from amongst 81 candidates for whom 17 presidential candidates voted at a ceremony in Presidential Palace on Friday, March 1.

Based on President Ghani’s decree, the new IEC members are:

•    Sayed Esmatullah Mal, 36, who got nine votes out of 17 is from Balkh province. He has a master’s degree in law.

•    Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah, 36, who got nine votes, is from Panjsher province. He has a bachelor’s degree in law from Kabul University.

•    Awrang Zeb, 39, who got eight votes, is from Paktia province, has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.

•    Mohammad Hanif Danishyar, 35, who got seven votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

•    Musafir Qoqandi, 36, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province and has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences

•    Hawa Alam Nuristani, 46, who got eight votes, is from Nuristan province. She has a bachelor’s degree in law.

•    Rahima Zarifi, who got six votes is from Ghazni province.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang was appointed as head of the secretariat of the Independent Election Commission, according to President Ghani's decree.

Based on President Ghani’s decree, the new members of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission are:

•    Mohammad Qasim Elyasi, 48, who got eight votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a PhD in philology.

•    Zuhra Bayan Shinwari is from Parwan province and has a bachelor’s degree in law.

•    Din Mohammad Azimi, 44, who got six votes, is from Ghor province. He has a master’s degree in criminology.

•    Mohammad Yunus Toghra, 42, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province. He has a master’s degree in administration.

•    Sayed Qutbuddin Roidar, 39, who got seven votes, is from Paktia province and has a bachelor’s degree in religious sciences.

Based on President Ghani's decree, Chaman Shah Etemadi is the new head of the secretariat of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission.

This comes after all commissioners from the two electoral commissions – the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission – were dismissed from their posts, including the two chiefs, after President Ashraf Ghani signed off on an amendment to the electoral law.

Ghani approved the amendment on February 20, which resulted in the instant dismissal of the commissioners – including IEC chief Abdul Badi Sayyad and IECC Aziz Azizullah Aryayee.

New Heads Of Election Commissions Elected

Members of Independent Election Commission voted for Hawa Alam Nuristani to run the institution. 

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As a first ever move in the country’s history, two women, Hawa Alam Nuristani and Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, were elected to run two main national institutions of Afghanistan – the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission. 

Hawa Alam Nuristani is a former MP. She has a bachelor’s degree in law. She got eight votes from 17 presidential candidates who voted for 81 applicants of election commissions’ post at a ceremony in the Presidential Palace on Friday, March 1.

During her career, Nuristani has worked as a TV presenter for the National Radio-Television, a clerk in Ministry of Women’s Affairs, member of the Wolesi Jirga, member of the High Peace Council, human rights commissioner and as member of the Oversight Commission on Access to Information. 

The seven members of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), meanwhile, elected Esmatullah Mal as deputy head of the commission and Musafir Qoqandi as secretary of the IEC, said Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the IEC. 

Zuhra Bayan Shinwari, who was elected as the chairperson of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IEC), has a bachelor’s degree in law.

The new commissioners for the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission sworn in at a ceremony in Presidential Palace on Monday, a day after they were appointed to the posts by President Ashraf Ghani. 

The commissioners were elected from amongst 81 candidates for whom 17 presidential candidates voted at a ceremony in Presidential Palace on Friday, March 1.

Based on President Ghani’s decree, the new IEC members are:

•    Sayed Esmatullah Mal, 36, who got nine votes out of 17 is from Balkh province. He has a master’s degree in law.

•    Mawlana Mohammad Abdullah, 36, who got nine votes, is from Panjsher province. He has a bachelor’s degree in law from Kabul University.

•    Awrang Zeb, 39, who got eight votes, is from Paktia province, has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.

•    Mohammad Hanif Danishyar, 35, who got seven votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

•    Musafir Qoqandi, 36, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province and has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences

•    Hawa Alam Nuristani, 46, who got eight votes, is from Nuristan province. She has a bachelor’s degree in law.

•    Rahima Zarifi, who got six votes is from Ghazni province.

Habib-Ur-Rahman Nang was appointed as head of the secretariat of the Independent Election Commission, according to President Ghani's decree.

Based on President Ghani’s decree, the new members of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission are:

•    Mohammad Qasim Elyasi, 48, who got eight votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a PhD in philology.

•    Zuhra Bayan Shinwari is from Parwan province and has a bachelor’s degree in law.

•    Din Mohammad Azimi, 44, who got six votes, is from Ghor province. He has a master’s degree in criminology.

•    Mohammad Yunus Toghra, 42, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province. He has a master’s degree in administration.

•    Sayed Qutbuddin Roidar, 39, who got seven votes, is from Paktia province and has a bachelor’s degree in religious sciences.

Based on President Ghani's decree, Chaman Shah Etemadi is the new head of the secretariat of the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission.

This comes after all commissioners from the two electoral commissions – the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission – were dismissed from their posts, including the two chiefs, after President Ashraf Ghani signed off on an amendment to the electoral law.

Ghani approved the amendment on February 20, which resulted in the instant dismissal of the commissioners – including IEC chief Abdul Badi Sayyad and IECC Aziz Azizullah Aryayee.

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