KABUL - The Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan (TEFA) on Thursday said keeping silence and not announcing specified date to hold elections showed the government’s reluctance. However, the CEO office said the elections would definitely be held.
Naeem Ayoubzada, TEFA’s head, told a news conference here that six months had passed since the electoral commissions launched their activities, however, a date for holding parliamentary and district council polls was yet to be specified.
“The country’s electoral environment is plagued by the government’s silence and subsequent confusion and it seems the elections are cancelled this year.”
He said the prolonged delay in holding the elections had badly impacted political, social, economic situation and security in the country.
He said the government was yet to decide whether to hold the parliamentary and district council elections simultaneously or separately and no practical steps had been in this regard so far.
Ayoubzada said the electoral bodies shouldn’t await the government’s decision and should function as an independent organ and devise plan for holding the elections.
“The current National Assembly, the mandate of which has ended long ago, has been a big hurdle to elections and electoral reforms,” said the TEFA chief, who believed the unity government had no program to hold the elections because of its internally political rifts.
Meanwhile, politician Mohammad Yunus Qanoni, said: “The signs and situation suggest that elections are delayed based on technical and political pretexts.”
However, Mujib Rahman Rahimi, the CEO spokesman, said the government had a strong political determination and intention to hold elections.
“The government has many times declared it and I again repeat that we don’t have a second opinion about holding the elections and we are committed to proving it.”
He said the main factor behind the delay in holding the elections were electoral rerforms and logistic arrangements. He said announcing a date and for elections was related to the electoral bodies,.
Despite efforts, Pajhwok wasn’t able to have comments from IEC officials in this regard. (Pajhwok)