Massoud warns of ‘all possible means’ to bring electoral reforms

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By Farhad Naibkhel-KABUL: The opposition will deploy ‘all possible means’ to bring electoral reforms, said Ahmad Zia Massoud on Tuesday, taking umbrage at the government for surreptitiously ‘orchestrating fraud’ in the coming parliamentary elections.

“We don’t want to go for a fraudulent vote, and rather we will deploy all possible means to ensure a free and fair election,” said Masoud who is a prominent member of the Grand National Coalition of Afghanistan (GNCA).

Pointing to the closure of the Independent Election Commission offices in some provinces by the GNCAsupporters, Massoud said it was the right of people and political parties to seek their demands through civil movement.

Criticizing government react and using forces against GNCA loyalists’ protest in front of IEC office in Nangarhar, he warned that using of forces by the government in such situation will have bad outcomes even will lead to further crisis.

Governmental leaders plan to orchestrate the coming election and open way to its own figures to parliament in order to safe their position and powers in future, he claimed.

He insisted that we will defend from people vote and want a free, fair and nationwide election.

The GNCA and political parties have submitted drafts to the government and electoral bodies in order to bring reforms in election commission and pave the ground for a transparent election, but the government has struggled to kill the time and ignore all demands, he noted.

He said that now we used to close the doors of the provincial IEC offices in a bid to oblige government to bring reforms.

He stated that the government used forces against protestors in Nangarhar, which as result 80 demonstrators were wounded and 20 others arrested.

He asked the government to stop using forces against protestors and release all arrested people.

If the government not positively answered to the demand of parties, we will use otherways including protest in Kabul city, he warned.

While insisting over running of free and fair election, he said that it is better to postpone the election than going to fraudulent election.

It is pertained to mention that the AGNC and Political parties demand was the registration of voters and polling processes must be taken place through biometric system, reforms in electoral bodies and giving the chance of monitoring to the parties in the election.