Afghanistan Times
Related Articles
AT News Report-KABUL: The draft of for next year presidential election’s calendar is ready and will be likely announced today (Saturday), the Independent Election Commission said, the step was taken considering suggestions from the political parties, civil society and electoral watchdogs.
The commission added that the draft had been finalized and there was no big obstacle before the next year’s presidential election.
“Some of the political parties shared their views with the commission to help us make the draft of presidential election’s calendar, so it will be possibly announced today,” said Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, deputy spokesman of the election commission.
He said that the presidential candidates’ registration process would begin on December 15 and would continue until January, adding that all technical preparations had been held for a transparent election.
The election commission had earlier said the presidential election would be held on April 20.
The last presidential election held in 2014 was outlawed as full of fraud and violation. None of the two frontrunners (Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah) managed to win the election and they agreed then US secretary of state John Kerry’s offer for a national unity government that included both, Ghani as the president and Abdullah as the chief executive, a post newly established parallel to prime minister.
The Free and Fair Election Forum of Afghanistan (FEFA) says the commission should be fully prepared for a fair and transparent election to avoid the last election‘s problems.
“The calendar may be announced, but we are not sure about the exact date of the presidential election. The recount of parliamentary election, separation of clean votes from fraudulent ones will be the issues make the election commission to delay next year’s election,” said Yousuf Rashid, head of the FEFA.
