Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Thursday, March 28th, 2024

Candidate Registration Begins for 2014 Elections

Candidate Registration Begins for 2014  Elections

KABUL - On Monday, Independent Election Commission (IEC) officials announced that the registration window for Presidential and Provincial Council candidate nominees had opened according to schedule.

IEC officials said that all the necessary provisions have been taken to prepare for the registration process and ensure it is carried out smoothly. No Presidential candidates reportedly registered on the first day.

Presidential candidates have until October 6 to submit their names and meet the considerable requirements set for the upcoming elections. The new standards eligible candidates are expected to meet include depositing a fee of 1 million Afghanis ($18,000) and providing signatures and voter ID numbers of 100,000 supporters from an assortment of provinces around the country.

Officials said that the Presidential registration process was more demanding than it was in 2009, so it is likely the field of candidates will be smaller.

"We hope that the candidates come for registration. They have likely not yet come because of the demands of the election law," said Noor Mohammad Noor, the IEC Spokesman.

The election is set for April 5, but with the voter registration period coming to an end and the candidate registration time just beginning, preparations are high gear. With only 19 days left to register, news about who is going to contest the elections will likely be breaking over the course of the next couple of weeks. The IEC is set to announce the official list of candidates on October 16. (Tolo news)