KABUL - The institutions overseeing the election process said on Sunday that a number of shortlisted candidates for the election commissions were guilty of fraud in the last election and that they have been shortlisted due to their political connections.
The election selection committee has submitted a list of 36 candidates to the president for the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Election Complaints Commission (IECC). According to them a number of these candidates were members of the election commissions during the last election.
The institutions overseeing the election process said they are worried that if these people are again selected as members of IEC and IECC, they could repeat their actions of the past.
"The people who have been accused of fraud in the last election are shortlisted due to their political relations, and not on merit," said Naeem Ayubzada, head of Free Election Foundation of Afghanistan (FEFA.)
The selection committee however is adamant the candidates have only been selected on merit. However it accepts that considering tribal balance in the composition of the election commissions had made the shortlisting process challenging.
"The election law has said to us to shortlist the candidates based on merit and at the same time to consider ethnic balance in the commissions. This has made the process very difficult," said Yusuf Rashid, a member of the selection committee.
Members of Meshrano Jirga (Upper House of Parliament) also said if electoral fraud happens again, the country will be faced with a crisis.
"Government should fulfill its promises and announce the election time and ensure transparency in the election process," said Gul Ahmad Azami, a senator.
Government announced last week that the names of those appointed will be released by the end of the week but as yet nothing has happened. (Tolonews)