The Lower House of Parliament in its session on Wednesday rejected the decision of Independent Election Commission saying no changes in election results would be accepted. The Administrative Board of the House has issued seven resolutions ruling out any change by the IEC. The Election Commission had unseated nine sitting members of the Wolesi Jirga in its decision after the Presidential decree.
According to Speaker of the House Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, the Administrative Board of the parliament has said the IEC decision has been made under extreme pressure from President Karzai.
The Election Commission also distributed certificates of victory to the nine candidates who are replaced by the unseated MP's. They are supposed to take their seats in parliament soon, while the unseated MP's have reiterated not to leave the house, and parliament Administrative Board says they will not allow the new members to get in. This is going to cause another ugly battle in the house in coming days.
The remaining of 62 protesting candidates who are not in the list of nine reinstated ones held a protest demonstration on Tuesday marching towards the office of United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and Presidential Palace.
They were chanting very inflammatory slogans against UNAMA. The problem with these people is that if there is a crisis and the international community keeps itself separated from intervention, they call for interference, but now they are chanting slogans of death against UNAMA. The UN has funded and supported the election process. Their suggestion or support for the IEC is not interference.
The UN and European Union have already welcomed the IEC decision calling for the end of this crisis. In a press statement on Wednesday the EU Delegation said it is important to ensure that Afghanistan's institutions are sufficiently robust to ensure that in the future, protracted debates between the parties on the correctness of electoral results can be based.
We are of the view that its time to move ahead. Despite the fact that the IEC's decision to alter changes is as a result of the tactics and pressure from Presidential Palace, but this crisis has already brought huge damage to the pillars of state and their working relationship as well as reputation.
Indeed there has been manipulation in the work of Election Commission and its Chief Manawi has admitted several times of the pressures from government circles. The IEC's decision is the 'middle way' it has chosen as a result of deal with the Palace to end this crisis. The parliament should now take on other issues, and this crisis must end.