KABUL - Head of Secretariat of the Independent Election Commission (IEC), Imam Mohammad Warimach, said government is killing time in holding the upcoming parliamentary and district councils elections therefore the parliamentary polls will not be held this year.
Warimach told TOLOnews that government has not managed to prepare the election budget and meanwhile it has not assured the IEC of upcoming polls’ safety.
“The commission is serious in this respect and it is concerned about losing the time. Unfortunately, decisions are not made on time and seriously,” he stated.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Palace said government is committed to ensuring elections’ safety and providing its budget.
“The Independent Election Commission should assess the number of electoral sites which they consider in provinces. It should assess that whether voters will vote with old voter cards or with the new cards. And more importantly, it should assess that how they should decide on their local employees and how they will organize the date of the election,” he said in a press conference on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a number of electoral watchdog organizations said government and the IEC will be blamed for delay in elections if the polls are not held this year.
“The commission wants to blame government. The IEC is happy with preparing the draft and they say they are waiting for government’s approval. This issue affects the IEC’s independence and meanwhile government uses this situation as a tool,” said Yusuf Rasheed, CEO of Transparent Election Foundation of Afghanistan.
A number of MPs also criticized the delay in the parliamentary elections.
“Election is the right which has been given to the people by the Constitution. Can the IEC divide the electoral sties in insecure areas? For instance in Bughran and Sangin (districts in Helmand),” said Abdul Rahim Ayubi, an MP. (Tolonews)