KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Thursday called for respect of Afghanistan’s Constitution and electoral laws, as well as its independent electoral institutions, following the announcement made by presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah to boycott the electoral process until his concerns regarding fraud are addressed.
In a statement, the UNAMA said it learned of Abdullah's to suspend ties with the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC) on Wednesday at his press conference, in which he also suggested that a commission under UN supervision be created to oversee the election process moving forward.
Dr. Abdullah has alleged massive fraud in the early tallies from the June 14 runoff election against Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai. The winner will replace President Hamid Karzai in the country's first-ever democratic transition of power. Abdullah went so far as to implicate Karzai in his claims of fraud orchestration against the IEC.
“Regrettable as this step may be, we will continue to engage closely with both campaigns and the electoral commissions, consulting with them on a way forward,” UNAMA chief Jan Kubis said on Wednesday. He also recalled the code of conduct signed by both candidates where they pledged to cooperate with the electoral commissions.
"We believe that the electoral process should continue as laid out in the laws passed by the National Assembly. In particular, the mandate of the electoral institutions must be respected," he added.
Kubis emphasized the important responsibility the election commissions now have to safeguard the election process.
"For their part, the electoral bodies have to demonstrate the highest levels of transparency and integrity and continue to proactively respond to valid candidate concerns," Mr. Kubis continued. "All efforts should be made to ensure that all valid votes are counted and all invalid ballots rejected - such efforts will have our full support."
The UN official noted that appeals to circumvent or abandon the legal process and framework and appeal directly to supporters could incite violence. Indeed, some people have already called for civil disobedience and some incidents have already taken place, UNAMA said in its statement.
UNAMA urged the candidates to take steps to reign in their supporters and keep them from stoking fires of discord with inflammatory statements. The UN Mission said the partisans, just like their candidates, have a responsibility to peace, stability and national unity.
Abdullah’s demand that the IEC halt the vote counting process have been disregarded by election officials. IEC Chairman Ahmed Yousuf Nuristani spoke to TOLOnews Wednesday evening and assured that the vote counting process would continue as planned, with both Afghan and international observers monitoring it despite Abdullah deciding to withdraw his representatives.
President Karzai's office also responded to Abdullah remarks on Wednesday, assuring that the President has remained neutral during the election process.
"President Karzai has remained impartial throughout; his issuance of multiple decrees shows the importance he attaches to government impartiality," Deputy Spokesman Fayeq Wahedi told TOLOnews. "He respects both of the candidates and is in close touch with them. We hope the problems we are facing now will be tackled within the relevant laws, in the bigger interests of the country." (Tolonews)