KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on Tuesday urged the presidential candidates to respect the work of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Independent Electoral Complaints Commission (IECC).

“I commend the IEC and the IECC on their preparations for the elections and the improved process on election day. Along with the security institutions, they provided the Afghan people with the opportunity to show their determination to vote,” said Ján Kubiš, the UNAMA head.

Also the secretary-general’s special representative, the diplomat stressed: “Votes must be counted, complaints resolved fairly and efficiently, and the two bodies must cooperate closely to release the results in a transparent and timely manner.”

He expressed the views following a meeting the other day with IEC Chairperson Dr. Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani and the IECC head Abdul Sattar Sadat.

The UN official noted it was vitally important to protect the impartiality and credibility of the election process so that the millions of ballots cast by voters could be translated into a legitimate outcome that was broadly accepted by the Afghan people. (Pajhwok)