KABUL - Second Vice-President Sarwar Danish on Wednesday insisted on holding the parliamentary and district council elections this solar year and urged lawmakers to approve the presidential decree on electoral reform to pave the way for the polls.
Addressing the lower house of parliament, Danish said it was joint responsibility of the government and the parliament to facilitate conduct of elections. “The international community considers elections and electoral reform in Afghanistan as preconditions for cooperation for the upcoming NATO summits in Warsaw and Brussels. Funds are being arranged for the elections,” the VP said.
He said President Ashraf Ghani had sent a letter to the United Nations Secretary General, seeking technical and financial assistance for the elections. He said the country’s overall security situation had been assessed and a report in this regard shared with the United Nations.
“Now it is up to the parliament. With approval of the president decree, you can open the door for electoral reform and with your wise decision, you can pave the ground for elections at an earlier date.”
Three days ago, Wolesi Jirga speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi had said electoral reform was crucial to restoring people’s trust in elections. “Until reforms  in the electoral system are not brought about, the international community will not provide assistance,” the speaker had said.(Pajhwok)