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KABUL: Election is not necessarily a win and lose game, but a holistic process that should be entirely lawful, as its results are embraced merely when electoral processes are chiefly characterized by lawfulness, that in turn helps in forming a legitimate state.
The final results of the 2019 Presidential election were announced after almost five months by the IEC. In a statement, Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan said that the announcement of the final election results is a poorly thought-out decision, owing to irregularities and incomplete status of the process of carrying out ECC’s resolutions.
“TEFA’s observation findings reveal that almost 20% of ECC’s resolutions (Audit and Recount) in a certain number of provinces have remained incomplete, and IEC’s special audit took place during night time when ECC’s, domestic and international groups’ observers were not present,” it said.
Violating the bill for audit and recount amid carrying out ECC’s resolutions, inter-EMB conflict, and irregularities amid the ballot recount process in a certain number of provinces are among the problems that have followed the final results of 2019 the election, which should have been address prior to the announcement. IEC’s prompt decision on announcing the final election results is clearly an act that needs to be questioned, and is apparently an outbreak of information that obviously amazed both domestic and international stakeholders-those who financed the process.
23,000 complaints and 345 votes caused changes in the final results. TEFA’s observation findings show that IEC failed to deliver on its promises as it could not keep up with the election law and their own self-explanatory and clearly defined code of conduct, which intensifies our concerns over the possible negative outcomes of their work in the future; and therefore, IEC needs to be held accountable for their acts at the court. TEFA is deeply worried about Afghanistan’s fate, because if the current conditions continue at such pace, Afghans should be expectant of another heinous crisis.
Moreover, the international community, which happens to be the most important contributors to the Afghan elections, has remained silent, not reacting even slightly to the final results of the 2019 election. Such silence can be another indication of problems in the 2019 electoral process.
Peace process, which was likely to conclude to a positive deal, is also now at stake and might even be toppled from its current status.
With the current conditions in mind, TEFA recommends the following:
1. Afghan Political leaders should respect the country’s national interest, prefer restraint, and work on yielding an acceptable solution to the existing problem.
2. The international community should openly express their thoughts on the final results of the 2019 election, and help Afghanistan in preventing any possible crisis.
