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

Final Candidate List Delayed: ECC

Final  Candidate List Delayed: ECC

KABUL - The final list of eligible Presidential and Provincial Council candidates of the spring elections was scheduled to be released on Saturday, November 16. However, officials from the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) have said that the names will not be known for another few days.

The Independent Election Commission (IEC) was three days delayed in releasing the preliminary list of candidates back in October. In addition to garnering the ire of the many candidates is disqualified and criticisms of civil society groups clamoring for transparency, the IEC forced the ECC to begin its complaints review process behind schedule.

But with over 650 complaints filed by the public against candidates, and challenges to the IEC's preliminary list decisions from 17 Presidential and over 400 Provincial Council contenders, the ECC has had its hands full and reaffirmed on numerous occasions that it would prioritize the integrity of the process over expediency.

"Our assessments and complaints hearings are continuing at the Election Commission," ECC Secretariat head Nader Mohseni said on Friday. "I don't think that anyone is upset about the final list being delayed a couple of days for the sake of electoral justice and transparency."

The IEC came under heavy fire from candidates it rules ineligible and civil society groups back in October for not reviewing candidates' nominations fairly or transparently. The ECC has made a concerted, and obvious, effort to avoid similar backlash itself since beginning to assess complaints and challenges.

The ECC is not the only body involved in the complaints review process. Judicial bodies are also expected to lend a hand in any cases involving criminal backgrounds and human rights violations. The added role of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in the IEC's preliminary list procedure was said to have led to its three-day delay in announcing the list.

But election officials did not comment specifically on what was causing the delay to the release of the final list, though many signs pointed to disqualified candidates' challenges being at least part of the holdup.

On Friday, a delegation assigned by the ECC along with representatives of disqualified candidates went to the Election Commission to look over their documents once again. The special delegation is expected to continue to review the documents on Saturday.

"A delegation came from the ECC to assess the objections of the disqualified candidates, and we did our best to cooperate and help them," said Ziaulhaq Amarkhail, the head of the IEC Secretariat added.

Many of the criticisms of the IEC following its announcement of the preliminary list was that its rulings were based on flawed methodology. Reportedly the database of voter cards used by the Commission to verify those that candidates submitted to prove they had a support base and met the Election Law standards was unreliable. (Tolo News)