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KABUL (SW) – The Wolesi Jirga (lower house) on Saturday criticized the Independent Election Commission over polling irregularities last week.
Taking part in the debate over the matter, a number of WJ members said the IEC played a weak role in organizing and managing the WJ polls last week.
Among such members, Chaman Shah Etemadi and Karamuddin Razazada, said the polling stations were not open on time, the biometric machines of verification were not working properly and the voters’ lists at a number of polling stations were not properly maintained causing glitches during the polling process.
They demanded the president to hold the responsible commissioners accountable. The MPs also called for action against all those responsible for causing constraints and concerns among the public on this occasion. The house also called for the Independent Election Complaint Commission’s access to all electoral complaints.
Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, speaker of the house, said the people participated in the process in large number, however, the technical capabilities of the IEC were weak.
The weak management by the IEC has previously been criticized by the electoral watchdogs as well.
However, the IEC has defended its position under prevailent circumstances.
ENDS
