KABUL (SW): Officials at the Afghanistan Civil Society Elections Network (ACSEN) stressed on Thursday that any further delay and negligence in bringing reforms to the electoral bodies would affect stability in the country.
Sughra Saadat, a member at the ACSEN, told journalists in Kabul that the political leaders should keep the promises they made on bringing electoral reforms and should introduce new commissioners to the Independent Election Commission (IEC).
The selection committee, after weeks of delay, was finally established a month ago but since the parliament has rejected the President’s decree over election reforms, members of the committee have said that they would not start their work unless the problems are solved.
Based on the Constitution, the selection committee’s task was to introduce 31 members to the IEC and 15 other members to Independent Election Complaint Commission (IECC).
The President’s Office will appoint 7 out of 15 members as the top members of the IEC and 5 others for the IECC.
Roshan Seran, another member of the ACSEN, said that for holding transparent and fair elections, the President should immediately issue a decree for commencing the work of the selection committee.
Naem Ayubzada, a member at the selection commission, said on the occasion that without bringing reforms to the election commissions, transparent elections would not be possible in Afghanistan.
He said that if the situation did not change, elections in the future would be worse than the previous years.
Wait for a week
Jawed Faisal, Deputy Spokesman for the Chief Executive Officer, told Salam Watandar that the President would issue a decree in one week time. He said that it was decided in the cabinet meeting that the President would issue a decree prior to the parliament’s recession. The parliamentarians are set to resume sessions in 9 days since they are on vocation now.
ENDS
