KABUL (SW) – A number of Wolesi Jirga (lower house) candidates on Thursday demanded all votes cast in the capital Kabul should be declared void.
This comes after electoral observers and political groups raised similar demands while pronouncing the October polls for the parliament as marred by widespread irregularities and rigging.
At a moot here on Thursday, two such protesting WJ candidates, Dawood Kalakani and Abdul Ali Mohammadi, said the Independent Election Commission has violated the electoral laws, and failed to hold transparent elections.
A number of candidates claimed the stickers for biometric verification of votes were placed on voting sheets prior to the polls in October. They further charged corruption is underway in the recount drive, and each verified vote has been sold for AFN 2000.
However, Syed Hafeezullah Hashimi, spokesman and commissioner for the IEC, told Salam Watandar there is no chance for declaring all votes cast in Kabul as null as it would be unfair to the masses. He said the final decision would be made after receiving documented proof from the Independent Election Complaint Commission.
A while ago, the IECC had told SW it postponed the decision to declare the Kabul votes as void until the IEC provides proofs, but no proofs have been provided so far.
ENDS
