KABUL - The date for presidential and provincial council polls has been set in accordance with the constitution and overall situation in the country, the Afghanistan Independent Election Commission (AIEC) chief said on Monday.

On October 31, the IEC announced the elections would be held on April 5, 2014. The presidential vote result will be unveiled on May 14 and the provincial council polls outcome June 7.

IEC head Fazal Ahmad Manawi informed the ""'Wolesi Jirga, or lower house of parliament, the date had been fixed in line with Article 61 of the constitution.

Under the article, the president has to win more than 50 percent of the votes cast through free, general, secret and direct voting. A new president is to be elected in 30-60 days before the end of his/her term.

MP Mohammad Noor Akbari believed that if the election date was not set back, a large number of residents of cold areas would not be able to exercise their voting right.

Similarly, electioneering could not be initiated two months before the ballot and completed in the winter, the lawmakers from Daikundi province said, suggesting the election should be delayed for two weeks.

A public representative from Kabul, Younus Qanuni also called for a delay in the election, if allowed by the constitution. He said if there was no possibility of changing the date, the number of voting centers should be increased to enable all people to cast their votes near their homes.

By the same token, Speaker Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi supported a delay in the ballot so that all eligible voters could exercise their right.

However, Manawi said it was difficult to ensure at a time security, favorable weather conditions and international support for the election. "I don't think the cold weather will affect voters, who are used to climatic conditions of their areas."

The parliament, expected to welcome the election schedule, had been rather critical of the date, he regretted. "Consensus should be evolved; the commission on implementation of the constitution should tell us a legal solution."

Manawi said they planned to set up 7,000 voting centers across the country, a number that could be changed. The polls would be organized simultaneously, because making security arrangements and seeking foreign funding for four elections in two years was problematic, he argued.

Parliamentary and district council elections are scheduled for 2015. Based on past experiences, a draft electoral law was prepared and submitted to the president for approval five months back, the IEC chief said. (Pajhwok)