KABUL (SW) – The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has declared October 15 as deadline for registration of polling observers.
Hafeezullah Hashimi, IEC spokesman, told a presser in this connection that up to 53 institutions, including political parties, have so far registered as observers. He added full preparations are underway to hold the forthcoming Wolesi Jirga (lower house) election on time. Hashimi said the rumors propagating otherwise are baseless.
The IEC has also decided to ban the use of mobile phones for voters while casting vote in a bid to save time. Calling upon the security institutions and citizens to cooperate with the IEC in holding fair and timely polls, he underlined insecurity as a main obstacle.
Meanwhile, Yosuf Rasheed, head of the Free and Fair Election Foundation of Afghanistan, has expressed concerns regarding transparency in the electoral process. He told SW many political parties are pretending to be serious about it, but many have so far failed to register as observers.
The WJ elections are only ten days away, and the electoral campaign is intensifying with time.
ENDS
