As expected, the Independent Election Commission (IEC) trimmed the list of presidential candidates. With the announcement of the preliminary lists of both presidential and provincial councils’ candidates, the preparations for the pre-election phase seem to be smoothly moving forward. The announcement of the preliminary list of candidates is an important step forward into moving to the pre-election phase of the next year elections. According to the electoral schedule, in next few days, the Election Complaints Commission (ECC) is going to collect and consider the complaints submitted against candidates approved by the IEC as well as those complaints from the disqualified candidates protesting IEC’s decision to exclude them from the list.

Alike the forthcoming presidential election which will be the first peaceful transition of power in Afghanistan, the run-up to the election and the IEC conduct of the electoral preparations are exceptional experiences in the history of Afghanistan. The IEC’s decision in disqualifying more than half of the registered candidates from running in the forthcoming presidential elections is an unprecedented experience for Afghanistan and in the recent history of its democracy. Despite that the vetting process have had problems and delays due to numerous challenges, the robust decision-making process in the IEC is indicating that there is an admirable determination on the part of the election bodies for running an election with acceptable outcome, if not completely fair and free.

The public in Afghanistan has long been skeptical to the political developments in the country, including elections and the elections’ administration. During recent months, the Afghan election bodies have shown a better image of the election handling, despite that numerous challenges still exist in the process. A sound and acceptable conduct of the election process would boost public confidence and trust towards the elections and its outcome. Public confidence towards the handling of the election processes would be a crucial asset for the Afghan government and the election bodies for having a fair and free election in place. A sound and flawless conduct of the preparations in the pre-election phases would ultimately results to a broad consensus and agreement among the political spectrum for every stakeholder playing fairly in the process. Therefore, trimming the candidates’ list by the IEC and disqualification of more than a dozen of the candidates would be viewed positively by the people and will result to boosting credibility of the election bodies.

The IEC did well in the vetting process and relatively remained tough on considering eligibility of the candidates and the criterions for election nominations. So far, they have been committed and avoided to fall to the trap of the so-called expediency which ruins the legitimacy and credibility of political processes like elections. Still, there are considerations and concerns on how did the IEC act on some controversial issues when judging about qualification of candidates. According to the reports, second nationality of some candidates was one of the most challenging issues for the IEC in the vetting process. And, it is believed that many of the disqualified candidates must have been excluded from the preliminary list because of their dual-citizenship status. However, still many questions remain unanswered about the vetting process and whether the IEC did its job impartially and free of external influence.

Many of the candidates who are approved by the IEC are either directly backed by the government camp or are considered as close to President Karzai. And, the IEC and its commissioners are also viewed as having close ties with the president. This has always been a source of skepticism towards the IEC and its impartiality and is being viewed with suspicions and concerns. The question is whether IEC has dealt with candidates’ qualifications in the same standards or it has been influenced in one or another way by the government officials or some candidates. It is hoped the election bodies have not pursued a double standard in the vetting process and acted fairly and transparently. We should wait and see if any sign of mismanagement in the process and externally-exerted influence emerges.

The IEC officials have obviously tried in the recent months to improve its image among the public and prove that is committed to the law and interests of the country. This should be viewed positively and must be welcomed by the political spectrum of the country and the media as well civil organizations. However, the election bodies must also be closely watched and take accountable to do its best for running a fair and transparent election. The election bodies are still highly susceptible to external influence particularly from the government camp and President Karzai who has worked with many of the commissioners in last twelve years. For the legitimacy and credibility of the elections, it is crucially important that the IEC and ECC remain absolutely impartial to lead a fair and sound election.

The election bodies have announced that the complaints against candidates will be considered in a very short period of time which profoundly seems to be flawed. The complaints against candidates as well as disqualified candidates’ protests against IEC’s decisions should be reviewed and dealt with thoroughly. The election process which is supposed to be fair and transparent should not go ahead with hasty measures and there is no need for the election bodes to harm the credibility of the process with rushing towards the end. Therefore, all complaints should be considered thoroughly and be given sufficient time to be dealt with in order to have a fair process.