Independent Election Commission (IEC) members on Wednesday said the absence of a budget and insecurity are the main challenges they face ahead of planned presidential elections next year.

This comes after they officially announced April 20 next year as Presidential Election Day.

“The election commission after holding a series of consultations with civil society organizations and political parties decided to hold the elections on the 31st of Hamal (20 April 2019). The commission is committed to carrying out all work according to a specific timeline. If it had announced the election date on the first of Hamal, it would be impossible to hold elections in some regions due to weather conditions,” said IEC chief Abdul Badi Sayyad. 

In this episode, host Sadaf Amiry discusses the topic with Mohammad Natiqi, political analyst, Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, deputy spokesman for IEC and Fazel Ahmad Manawi, former IEC chief.