The 22-party umbrella group of opposition Cooperation Council of Political Parties and Coalitions of Afghanistan (CCPPCA) boycotted the meeting called at Presidential Palace to discuss the new chief for Independent Election Commission. The current IEC Chief Fazal Ahmad Manawi will retire by the end of this month. The meeting was called to discuss the issue. However, the opposition called it unconstitutional and demanded approval of the election law asking formal procedure be followed according to the constitution.
Opposition sources claim President Karzai wants one of his loyalists to be appointed as IEC Chief and Tuesday’s meeting was intended to be another of those ‘sit-talk-and-order’ meetings where participants are not for real consultation on a decision, but mere presence. Therefore the opposition boycotted the unconstitutional move. The names making rounds include Presidential Chief of Staff Karim Khuram and National Security Advisor Rangin Dadfar Spanta, both of whom are nearest to the President.
Opposition believes that appointment of a loyalist would mean plans to hijack the poll results of presidential elections are underway. It’s part of the pre-poll rigging arrangements plan. The Government must know it cannot get away with such moves without taking the country into deep crisis for which sole responsibility will go to the President.
Opposition has decided to boycott an unconstitutional session and they would continue a unified demand for proper procedures to be followed. If the Government is serious about conducting smooth elections free and fair, it should not appoint any official who has served in the current Karzai Administration. A non-political figure acceptable to all would be the best choice. However, the Palace dwellers have other plans and they will not let it go without a try to maneuver things.
The international community needs to keep a firm eye on the pre-elections preparations and ensure a just process for free, fair and transparent elections and smooth transfer of power in 2014. In a recent UNSC meeting, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also stressed the need to reach an agreement on an impartial, credible and independent electoral dispute mechanism. He marked this as a very critical, essential element of the future electoral architecture. Another core element he mentioned was the appointment of a respected, widely-accepted chairperson of the IEC.
His representative for Afghanistan Mr. Kubis has said that the UN hopes that the appointment process will be based on broad consultations, engaging all the necessary stakeholders in this process that will be broadly accepted as a credible head and that would strengthen the independence and credibility of the IEC.