Mass rigging in the upcoming presidential and provincial councils’ election can be expected, given the presence of hefty number of fake voting cards and cards issued to those who are still under the voting age. Additionally, there are also people who have obtained multiple cards from the IEC voters’ registration centers.

Independent Election Commission (IEC) has said it will bar individuals who have obtained voting cards but have not completed the legal age for voting from entering the polling station in April 5th election. It is pertinent to ask the IEC why it issued cards to such individuals in the first place. If it has failed to avoid registration of such individuals, definitely it will fail to prevent them from voting either. Meanwhile, the Commission renders no strategies for countering the use of fake voting cards.

Undoubtedly, the fake voting cards have been published on the direction of certain political circles. They have encouraged people to obtain multiple cards and have supported individuals who are below the legal voting age to register themselves as voters. And the IEC officials have failed to counter such unwanted trends. It somehow means that the winning chance of a candidate who has prepared well for rigging in the election will be high.

The 2009 presidential and 2010 parliamentary elections were marred with serious allegations of rigging and ballot stuffing. Frauds did much to lower the credulity of the candidates who won. In remote and insecure provinces the chances of fraud are much higher than in the major cities of Afghanistan.

Last year and the year before that, it was continuously brought to the attention of the government that it must accelerate the process of computerizing Afghan identity cards or Tazkiras and IEC must also computerize the voters’ registration process. These recommendations if had been accepted by the government and IEC would largely help in diminishing the chances of rigging in the spring election. No one would be able to use fake voting cards or obtain multiple cards. But it seems as if the government intentionally delayed the project of issuing electronic ID cards.

Given the prevailing scenario in Afghanistan and keeping in view the above stated points, the chances that the spring election will not be free, fair and transparent is disappointedly quite high. It would be better if the people get mentally prepared for any kind of situation on the Election Day as the IEC, like the past, seems to be incapable in dealing with various fraud plans being prepared by various circles.