KABUL - The Independent Election Commission ('IEC) chief on Wednesday said that the commission would announce its decision next week regarding President Hamid Karzai's decree to resolve a lingering dispute over last year's fraud-hit parliamentary poll. The IEC will now be responsible for deciding how many lawmakers should be disqualified from parliament because of vote-rigging in the September 2010 election.

The IEC chief, Fazl Ahmad Manawi, told that the appellant court had authorised Karzai and the president handed the authority to IEC to resolve all matters related to the election. The election commission would announce its final verdict next week, he said. However, he did not explain how the controversy would be resolved.

Manawi once again reiterated that the election tribunal was an illegal body and its decision was not based on principles. The Independent Commission for the Supervision of the Implementation of the Constitution (ICSIC) head Gul Rahman Qazi said the president had the authority under articles 60 and 88 to make a decision about the three state pillars keeping in view national interest.

Therefore, he said, the president handed the authority to the IEC to make a final decision about the poll results based on the evidence, findings and verdicts of the special court and the appellant court.