KABUL (SW): A number of senators in the Masharajo Jirga (upper house) urged the government on Tuesday to announce the date for parliamentary elections and designate impartial persons for the electoral commissions.
The parliamentary elections were due to be held in March this year but political wrangling among the leaders of the Government of National Unity came in the way.
The Senators expressed anxiousness over the prevailing fragile security situation and said if things remained like this holding the election would become even more difficult.
Gul Ahmad Azimi, a senator said on the occasion that current situation in the country was worrisome and holding elections sounded a distant dream. Azimi urged the President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to expedite efforts in a bid to ensure the election soon takes place.
Referring to the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Election Complaint Commission (IECC), the senators noted that neutrality was supreme in this regard.
Fauzia Saadar Samkani, a female senator while joining the debate said that people with no political tilt or affiliation should be appointed to run the election related affairs.
Article 83 of the Constitution states that the members of the House of People (Wolesi Jirga/ lower house) shall be elected by the people through free, general, secret, and direct balloting. The work period of the House of People shall terminate, after the disclosure of the results of the elections, on the 1st of Saratan of the 5th year and the new Parliament shall commence work.
It is worth noting that the President had once asked the IEC to announce dates and procedure for the parliamentary elections but in vain.
According to Abdul Rehman Hotak, Deputy Head of the IEC two tentative dates for the elections got rejected by the government over security and budget related issues.
ENDS
