Government is expected to announce the names of new election commissioners on Sunday evening, the Presidential Palace said.
Seventeen presidential candidates voted for 81 candidates who contested for 14 posts in the election commissions on Friday, March 1. Fourteen candidates who got the highest votes will be selected for membership of the Independent Election Commission and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission as well as for heads of the secretariat of the two electoral bodies.
Two presidential candidates said government should consult them before bringing any changes in the list of the new commissioners.
“Those who are declared the winners we all know them. If a change occurs there, candidates should be informed about it before bringing any changes,” said Shaida Mohammad Abdali, a presidential candidate.
“The major problem is the election law based on which they want to act,” said Abdul Latif Pedram, a presidential candidate.
Sources said some changes have occurred in the list of the candidates who secured a majority of the votes.
“They should refrain creating concerns among the people at this stage, because they (candidates) agree on whole issues and even sign it when they come on the table, but they suggest something else in media. It is better to work together for free, fair and transparent elections,” said President Ashraf Ghani’s spokesman Haroon Chakhansuri.
“If they go for reassessment, this will take another two years,” said Ahmad Farhad Ahmadi, a parliamentary elections candidate.
Those who got the highest votes are:
• 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.
• Qasim Elyasi, 48, who got eight votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a Ph.D. in philology.
• Musafir Qoqandi, 36, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province and has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences.
• Mohammad Yunus Toghra, 42, who got eight votes, is from Faryab province. He has a master’s degree in administration.
• Chaman Shah Etimadi, 46, who got eight votes, is from Ghazni province and has a bachelor’s degree in religious sciences.
• Habib Rahman Nang, 44, who got eight votes, is from Laghman province, is a physician.
• Aurwang Zeb, 39, who got eight votes, is from Paktia province, has a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.
• Hawa Alam Nursitani, 46, who got eight votes, is from Nuristan province. She has a bachelor’s degree in law.
• Geti, 42, who got seven votes, is from Kapisa province and has a bachelor’s degree in law.
• Zuhra Bayan is from Parwan province and has a bachelor’s degree in law.
• Zakir Zaki, 43, who got seven votes is from Samangan province. He has a master’s degree in agriculture.
• Qutbuddin Roidad, 39, who got seven votes, is from Paktia province and has a bachelor’s degree in religious sciences.
• Hanif Daishyar, 35, who got seven votes, is from Ghazni province. He has a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
• Najibullah Kamawal, 35, who got six votes, is from Nangarhar province. He has a master’s degree in public health.
• Din Mohammad Azimi, 44, who got six votes, is from Ghor province. He has a master’s degree in criminology.
This comes after all commissioners from the two electoral commissions – the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) – 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.