KABUL - The Electoral Reforms Commission (ERC) on Tuesday reassured to evaluate all conditions for which election commissioners got nominated and would incorporate changes to the laws in order to ensure neutrality during elections.
The electoral reforms commission was formed following a presidential decree and officially started work last week. The panel is headed by Shah Sultan Akefi.
Sediqullah Tawhidi, the commission’s deputy chairperson, told journalists that in the past few days the commission has developed work plans and ways to obtain suggestions from civil society, major political figures, youth associations and women’s rights organizations.
He added next week some members of the panel would travel to seven parts of the country in order to collect suggestions from civil society, local elders, Ulama councils and other segments of society in line with electoral reforms.
According to Tawhidi, they would complete a set of short-term plans for electoral reforms and submit them to the government after a month.
Tawhidi said the government then would have the opportunity to incorporate the set of suggestions in the laws on structure, duties and authorities of the electoral commissions through a legislative decree.
“After this stage, we will start our evaluations over the structure and capacity of elections commissions and at this moment the Independent Elections Commission (IEC) will be prepared to declare the dates for the next parliamentary and district council elections,” he noted.
“We examine all conditions for nomination of commissioners in elections commission. We will try to add cases in the law to guarantee the neutrality of the high-ranking officials,” he continued.
Legal obstacles would be developed in order to prevent any elections commissioner or other officials to prevent them from working for a particular candidate or work for one during elections period, he noted.
Issuing voters list and electronic identity cards, Tawhidi concluded, would also be discussed in the electoral reforms commission. (Pajhwok)