KABUL (SW) – The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has warned potential candidates against election campaigns prior to the formal launch of this phase in line with the timetable.
Gulajan Abdul Badi Sayad, IEC Chairman, told a presser here on Wednesday the deadline to file nomination papers has passed for the forthcoming district council and parliamentary elections across the country except Ghazni province. Mr. Sayad informed 981 men and 381 women have filed nomination papers for the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) while 851 men and 207 women have filed nomination papers for district councils.
The final list of approved candidates would be announced in two weeks’ time, he added.
The IEC chief noted insecurity, ambiguity regarding authorities and duties of district councils combined with cultural impediments resulted in few candidates file nomination papers. He added launching electoral campaigns before the release of the final list is a violation of the code of conduct, and would leave negative impacts on the candidates.
This comes as a number of WJ aspirants have launched intensive social media campaigns for them.
ENDS
