Preliminary election results for Kabul delayed again

The preliminary results of the long-awaited parliamentary elections for Kabul have been delayed for the second time, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Saturday.

It has been about two months since parliamentary elections were held in the country, however, the IEC is yet to announce the preliminary results of the vote for Kabul.

The elections which were held on October 20, marred by fraud and technical problems. The issue forced the IEC to recount the ballots for some provinces.

The IEC said the primary results for Kabul will be delayed as it still seeks to separate “black” votes from “white” ones.

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IEC warns of delay in parliamentary elections

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Wednesday warned that the upcoming parliamentary election would be impossible to be held on time if the current crisis continues the same.

“The commission is not responsible for the delay of holding the election and closing IEC branches in capital or other provinces has no legal basis,” a member of IEC, Hafizullah Hashemi said.

Despite the disqualified candidates set up sit-in tents near the IEC office, its provincial branches and staged protest, the election commission announced the names of 2565 nominees who succeed to be in the final list. Of the 2565 candidates, 2174 of them are men and 391 of them are women.

In the meantime, the observing institutions express concern over the closure of IEC office and its provincial branches and called on the International Community to find a solution for this issue.

Recently, the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC) has barred 35 candidates from running in upcoming parliamentary polls.

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Afghanistan’s upcoming elections still face challenges

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) has labeled security, lack of budget and distribution of electronic ID cards the main challenges ahead of the upcoming parliamentary and provincial council elections.

Currently, all eyes are on the Afghan government as to whether or not it will be able to deliver on its promise of providing free and fair parliamentary and district elections scheduled for July 7, 2018.

“The three challenges; insecurity, lack of budget and electronic ID cards have been seriously affected the timing of holding the upcoming elections,” said Abdul Badi Sayad, IEC commissioner.

During the introduction ceremony of a new commissioner, the IEC officials have called on electoral partners to provide the election’s requirements on its specified time.

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