Afghanistan Times
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KABUL: The Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA), a non-government electoral monitoring says that some evil demands from women during the elections caused them refrain from contesting in the votes.
The body also expressed concerns of what it called “restricted freedoms and dual behaviors” against women in the electoral commissions.
In a survey the FEFA has done in 33 provinces, 418 ladies have been interviewed, half of whom have said they did not register as candidates because of restrictions inflicted on them by the election commission officials.
“Some limits have been made inside the process for women including moral corruption. Unfortunately, women were asked for evil demands. This builds the concern and strong wall that makes them not to trust the election process and not to register as contestants,” said Maryam Arvin Barakzai, an official of the FEFA.
Fahima Babakarkhil, an independent candidate for parliament claimed that she was asked for immoral demands.
“We did not expect the corruption is in this width. There was weird violence against us from the day beginning. Our pictures were removed from the walls. Even somebody from the election commission said a bad thing to me and I threatened him and he said in response that I will not win the election even I secure enough votes,” Babakarkhil said.
Sima Samar, head of the independent human rights commission said that besides violence made by the armed opposition groups, some government officials also made troubles for female candidates and voters.
The commission says if evil demands are documented, the culprits would be handed over to the lawful bodies.
“I don’t reject that such thing did not happen. I emphasize that if an official has demanded this, it should be documented to help us hand him over to judiciary,” said Mirza Mohammad Haqparast, deputy spokesman of the election commission.
