Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Monday said they have arrested 60 people in connection with crimes related to parliamentary elections that took place on October 21 and 22 across the country and on October 27 in Kandahar. 

MoI spokesman Najib Danish said the people arrested were suspected of trying to commit fraud and violate the law for specific candidates over election days. 

Danish said the suspects will be prosecuted but did not give any details about their identities.

“Police has arrested 60 people over electoral crimes that happened on the election days. It is possible that the number might have changed following Kandahar elections and after police collected more evidence. Doubtless that a number of candidates wanted to use these people for their own benefit  in the elections,” said Danish.  

In the meantime, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) said the suspects should be punished in accordance with the law. 

IEC officials accept that a number of the commission’s employees committed negligence on the election days adding that they have formed a commission to address these issues. 

“The election commission supports the move and wants the people who tried to damage the election process to be punished,” Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, a deputy spokesman for the IEC said. 

A number of institutions overseeing the election process also said any attempt for committing election fraud is an electoral crime and the people who tried to violate the law and commit fraud should be punished. 

“Attempt to commit fraud in the parliamentary elections is considered as electoral crime and those who make such attempts should be punished by the judicial and legal centers,” Naeem Asghari, deputy head of Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan said. 

Although sources said the cases of arrested people are about to be sent to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the AGO refused to comment.