Editor in Chief: Moh. Reza Huwaida Friday, March 29th, 2024

IEC Announces 9 New MPs to the Parliament

IEC Announces 9 New MPs to the Parliament

Parliamentary Group Denounces IEC Decision as Illegal

KABUL - The Independent Election Commission on Sunday introduced 9 out of 62 MPs declared winners by the Special Electoral Tribunal into the Parliament.
The Commission stressed that 9 unseated MPs will have to leave their seats.
IEC's Chief Fazl Ahmad Manawi said that following President Karzai's decree and study into findings of appeals court, nine protesting candidates have been announced winners replacing nine sitting lawmakers.
Mr Manawi said this is the final decision and warned if it is provoked by any organization once more, it would be held accountable.
Lawmakers that have lost their seats following the decision of IEC are representatives from Herat, Helmand, Zabul, Paktika, Faryab, Badakhshan, Samangan and Baghlan provinces.

Despite pressures from different circles inside the government the decision has been taken independently and President Karzai has no role in it, Mr Manawi said.
Some parliamentarians claimed two of the nine candidates announced as winners by IEC are not among the 62 protesting candidates announced as winners by elections special tribunal.

"President Karzai assigned the IEC to make the final decision on elections. And If they continue to invalidate the decisions, then I think it won't be beneficial to Afghanistan, people and even to the international community that supports democracy in the country," Mr Manawi said. "The international community is also tired of this game."

Leader of the coalition to support law, Abdul Zaher Qadir, said that the IEC has no authority to unseat lawmakers in the house.
"The decision is illegal and it underlined that the IEC has also given in to illegal maneuvers," Mr Qadir said.

Abdul Zaher Qadir warned that the coalition to support law would not let even one single lawmaker to lose their seat.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers who have been disqualified by the IEC said that no organization has the right to reverse their legal right.

The election problem first began after 62 lawmakers were disqualified by the special tribunal, formed by Karzai to investigate fraud allegations in September elections.
Previously the IEC had announced that there wouldn't be any changes in vote results that it had announced.
Newly Announced MPs:
1. Rahima Jami, Herat Province
2. Nesar Ahmad Ghoryani, Herat Province
3. Ahmad Khan Samangani, Samangan
4. Gul Mohammad Pahlawan, Faryab Province
5. Mohammad Sulaiman Khail, Paktika Province
6. Ashiqullah Wafa, Baghlan Province
7. Hameedullah Tokhi, Zabul Province
8. Mualem Mir Wali, Helmand Province
9. Saranwal Abdul Rauf, Badakhshan Province
Unseated MPs:
1. Seemin Barakzai, Herat Province
2. Rafiq Shaheer, Herat Province
3. Tahir Zahir, Samangan Province
4. Shakir Kargar, Herat province
5. Hajji Abdul Qadir, Paktika Province
6. Zahir Ghanizada, Baghlan Province
7. Habibullah Andiwal, Zabul Province
8. Masood Noorzai, Helmand Province
9. Wali Neyazi, Badakhshan Province.