KABUL - The members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have welcomed the Saturday’s parliamentary elections in Afghanistan, calling for continued engagement with electoral institutions.
In a statement on Thursday, the members of the UNSC “commended the participation and courage” of Afghans for their participation in the vote, including women’s engagement in the elections—both as voters and candidates.
The members “reiterated their continued support for the Afghan Government and people of Afghanistan in their efforts to develop sustainable democratic institutions” added the statement.
In addition, they reiterated the important role of national electoral institutions, including the Independent Election Commission and the Electoral Complaints Commission, and urged them to “redouble efforts” to ensure the integrity, neutrality and transparency of the electoral process. That should include detection and prevention of fraud and careful monitoring of results.
They also took note of the situation in Kandahar, where the ballot was postponed due to security incidents until this coming weekend, saying it was important that the vote goes ahead.
The UNSC participants also condemned in the strongest terms the actions of those who sought to disrupt the elections and emphasized that violence or threat of violence in any form was unacceptable.
“Perpetrators of such acts must be held accountable and brought to justice,” said the joint statement of the council members. (Pajhwok)