KABUL (Pajhwok): The Independent Election Commission (IEC) on Thursday said discussions on holding presidential and Wolesi Jirga elections together in Ghazni province were underway, delaying the schedule for next presidential polls.
The IEC had earlier this week said it would announce schedule for presidential and other elections in next three days or on Tuesday. However, the commission is yet to announce the schedule two days after the given date.
The commission officials say Wolesi Jirga, provincial council and district council elections in Ghazni province would probably be held together with the presidential poll.
Abdul Aziz Ibrahimi, deputy IEC spokesman, told Pajhwok Afghan News that preparations for holding the presidential and provincial council elections were in place and holding the polls on April 20 was definite.
He said the schedule for elections would be announced in the next few days. The government and the international community had promised funding the presidential polls, he added.
Ibrahimi said discussions on holding Wolesi Jirga, district councils and provincial council elections together with presidential polls in Ghazni were underway.
“These discussions have been ongoing for the last five days and we hope we would be able to announce the election schedule as soon as possible,” he added.
In response to a question about the prolonged delay in announcing election schedule, Ibrahimi said the schedule was final but discussions on holding all the three elections together in Ghazni province were still underway.
Residents of Ghazni province during a protest in April this year had asked for holding elections in Ghazni based on electoral districts and the IEC finally on June 25 announced that the polls in the province would be based on electoral districts and 11 seats for the province would be divided into three regions.
However, a day after the IEC’s decision about Ghazni elections, a number of lawmakers from the province opposed the decision.
mds/ma

 

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