KABUL - In reaction to the recent comments made by officials from the Independent Election Commission (IEC) about conducting the upcoming Presidential elections according to the Presidential Legislative Decree in result of Parliament's delay in passing the Election Laws, several political parties on Sunday came out saying that transparency in the elections will be compromised if the Decree relied on as it was in the last elections.
Members of the National Front Party (NFP), the National Coalition Party (NCP), and the Right and Justice Party (RJP) called for the approval of the Election Laws and said that there is still enough time to implement them. The parties emphasized the importance of having a law governing the elections in place, cautioning that the Decree is an open invitation for malpractice in the elections.
The reaction came after Fazal Ahmad Manawi, the Chairman of the IEC, said on Saturday that there is no time to implement the Election Laws due to its delay in Parliament.
The NFP commented, saying that the Legislative Decree would be meaningless once the Election Laws have been finalized, and encouraged the IEC to do everything it can to have the Laws implemented for the elections.
"We want the Election laws to be implemented. The Cooperation Council of Political Parties Council has shared the issue with the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. When the laws are approved, the Legislative Decree should be done away with. When the Election Laws exist, the Decree does not have any meaning," asserted Haji Mohammad Mohaqeq, a senior member of the NFP.
Additionally, the National Coalition Party said that the frauds that were committed in the previous election would be repeated if the IEC relies on the Legislative Decree of the President.
"The bad experiences of the previous election will be repeated if the Legislative Decree is put into force for the upcoming Presidential elections and this is not acceptable to the political parties or the Afghan people; the IEC should think on these lines," responded Fazl Rahman Orya, a member of the NCP.
The RJP also stressed the need of having transparency in the elections. The RJP added that still nine months remain before the "election day", so there should be time to ensure that it is conducted according to the Election Laws.
"If the elections are held according to the Legislative Decree, transparency in the election goes out the window. There is enough time to implement the Laws, and the IEC should not compromise its independence by using the Legislative Decree," said Moeen Marastial, a member of the RJP.
The Head of the IEC said on Saturday that until now, a majority of the election preparation process has been done according to the Legislative Decree and the remaining process will also be done as such.
The fate of the Law on Functioning and Governing of IEC and the Election Law still remain uncertain, since the laws must be finalized by a committee consisting of members from both the Houses of Parliament, and the committee has yet to be formed. (Tolo News)