KABUL - A number of Afghan MPs on Wednesday asked the election authorities to conduct a second review of the documents of election candidates, including those who were disqualified last week.

Last Tuesday's announcement of the preliminary list of candidates saw 16 Presidential and nearly 400 Provincial Council candidates eliminated. The drastic cuts were not well-received by those who didn't make the list and speculations about mistakes in the Independent Election Commission's vetting process and potential political bias have abounded ever since.

The MPs on Wednesday told the Electoral Complaints Commission (ECC), which is currently conducting its review of complaints against candidates as well as challenges by those who were disqualified last Tuesday, to be impartial and address the demands those cut out of the running.

"The documents of the candidates who were announced by the IEC and those who were removed from the preliminary list should be re-reviewed by the ECC and the challenges of the removed candidates should be addressed ahead of the elections," said MP Munawar Shah Bahaderi.

ECC officials have said they would review the challenges by those candidates who were eliminated, but admitted that due to the time crunch they face, the complaints registered against candidates by the public would be prioritized.

The ECC's review process was put behind schedule after the IEC delayed its announcement of the preliminary list by three days. The Complaints Commission has seen further setbacks since there have been security-related troubles in the transporting of complaints submitted in the provinces to the review office in Kabul.

The IEC's evaluation process of all nominees materials, which ended last Tuesday, was a rigorous process that proved more challenging than expected. Since the product of that work – the preliminary list – was announced, aggrieved would-be candidates who were cut and civil society groups have launched accusations against the IEC.

Last week, the Free and Fair Election Commission of Afghanistan (FEFA) said the IEC had not conducted its vetting of nominees transparently. While other civil society activists claimed the IEC had been arbitrary, or perhaps biased, in what margin of error it allowed in the 100,000 supporting voter-cards Presidential candidates were required to submit. Some candidates also expressed frustration with the IEC's ruling on their citizenship status, as many of the disqualified candidates were claimed to have had dual-citizenship, which disallowed them from running.

The Speaker of the Lower House Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said that the Parliament would be investigating the processes of the IEC and ECC.

"The Independent Election Commission is not higher than the law and it is the authority of the Parliament to investigate the work of the IEC and Electoral Complaints Commission," he said. "The documents of the candidates should be reviewed to find out why some made the preliminary list and why others were removed."

Meanwhile, other MPs alleged that provincial Police Chief had been promoting certain Presidential candidates, which helped them in getting the 100,000 supporting voter cards required by law.

"Most of the Police Chiefs were not neutral and they were worked for the support of some of the candidates," said MP Sheekiba Hashimi. "The Ministry of Interior should take serious action on this." (Tolo News)