KABUL - Yousuf Nuristani, the Chairman of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), on Wednesday said that the parliamentary election is likely to be further delayed by a year or more due to political issues.

Speaking at a press conference in Kabul, Nuristani said that no other organization has the authority to set the election timeline and "we urge government to distance the election process from political games".

"Announcing the election timeline is the legal right of the IEC, so the government should help the commission hold elections while we announce [timeline] and prevent the irresponsible statements of people and groups," he said.

Nuristani said that the government is not able to hold the election in the upcoming year due to budget issues.

"We thank the international community for their support and we cannot say anything about them cutting funds," Nuristani said.

"The government should provide security and cover election costs," he added.

He said that the reduction in the cost of elections is one of the electoral reform issues of the commission and added that "we have reported to the President about the reforms at the IEC."

Refering to the Electoral Reform Commission (ERC), Nuristani said that "we are not worried about the work process of the ERC and we have cooperated with them."

But he said that "the election law should be respected".

His comment comes as the ERC head Shah Sultan Akifi announced on Tuesday that a temporary draft of proposals for ‎reforms to the electoral system will be sent to the National Unity Government (NUG) within a week.

"The draft includes [suggestion] on voters' list, election's monitoring process by national and international observers, women's role in election, crime‎, electoral complaints and amendments to election law," Akifi said.

He however declared the proposals meant nothing if the government failed to implement them.

"The effectiveness of the draft depends on its implementation by the NUG leaders," he added.

Meanwhile, electoral analysts and experts stress the need for change in the IEC's formation and authority.

"Our suggestion to this commission was to propose changes to the structure of the election commission to bring better reforms to the electoral system," said Fazal Ahmad Manawi, the ex-chairman of IEC.

Referring to the disputed Presidential Election last year, the citizens believe the only way to rebuild public trust in the election commission is to reform the system.

As efforts continue to bring reforms to the election system, the government is also anticipated to announce the date for the Parliamentary Election. (Tolonews)