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KABUL: As election authorities are hewing closer to a conclusion and settlement in regard with contested issues surrounding 2019 elections, the incumbent chief executive Abdullah Abdullah urged the commissions to ensure transparency in tabulation and announcement of the election results.
Addressing a press conference in Kabul on Saturday, Dr. Abdullah said announcement of presidential election results will ‘save Afghanistan from the perils of war and the grip of the uncertainty the country is subjected to’.
“Presidential election outcome must be transparent and in line with the law; which would provide a trajectory for the nation through this tumultuous circumstance to democratic, development and cultural progress phase.
This is as the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Alice Wells, said earlier that Afghans expect their leaders to work together for stabilizing the country until the election outcome.
“As Afghans await election results, they expect the Government of National Unity to focus on stability, security, and the economy. The GNU provides the framework for Afghanistan’s leaders to cooperate and address these challenges inclusively until a new government is formed,” she said in a tweet.
The electoral complaints commission announced Saturday that it had finalized and handed over its final decision about 300,000 controversial ballots to the independent election commission for implementation – despite a three-day delay in its proceedings. Spokeswoman Zarmina Kakar Haqjoo said Saturday that our decisions have been finalized and will be handed over to the election commission in an official letter, “probably by the end of today”.
The decisions pertained to 300,000 controversial votes – according to which, 10% of 137,000 suspicious ballots and 15% of 102,000 belated ballots will be recounted. If the recount ascertains that 65% of the retallied ballots lack validity, all the contests ballots will be invalidated and scrapped. Having biometric information, poll ledger and polling station result sheet are the criteria for ballots to qualify for validation.
Deputy Spokesperson of the Independent Election Commission, Mirza Mohammad Haqparast, has announced the authority’s preparation for implementation of the complaints tribunal’s decisions for recount. “We will begin the conduct of recount as soon as the complaints commission hands over its verdict,” he said.
